Soldotna man arrested after alleged robbery, assault at smoke shop

A clerk at Smoking Deals on Kalifornsky Beach Road was shoved repeatedly and threatened Saturday afternoon when a man allegedly tried to steal cigarettes by force, according to Alaska State Troopers. The suspect knocked a display of BIC lighters off the counter near the register before leaving the store at 43421 Kalifornsky Beach Rd.

As he left, the man told the clerk, "You better feel lucky I didn't do anything to you," according to the troopers' daily dispatch. He returned shortly after to apologize, was told police had been called, and left again. He then called the store approximately seven times asking for forgiveness before troopers identified and arrested him.

Troopers arrested Jayson Sanchez, 27, of Soldotna at approximately 3:16 p.m. Sanchez faces charges of Robbery in the 2nd Degree and Assault 4 and is held at Wildwood Pretrial. Soldotna Police arrested Sanchez on an assault charge in August 2025 in a separate incident; that case remains unresolved in the public record. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.