Troopers recover stolen Durango sold for parts at Fairbanks home

A stolen 2017 Dodge Durango turned up heavily dismantled at a Charlotte Lane home in Fairbanks after its parts were listed for sale online, Alaska State Troopers said.

Troopers recovered the SUV Wednesday and confirmed its VIN matched one reported stolen. The D Detachment dispatch does not say when it was taken.

The seller, Dustin Deals, 37, of Fairbanks, gave conflicting accounts of how the Durango reached his property and admitted selling parts from it without notifying the owner or law enforcement, troopers said.

Deals was arrested and taken to Fairbanks Correctional Center on charges of second-degree theft and third-degree criminal mischief. The charges are accusations and he is presumed innocent.

The state's Crime in Alaska 2024 report counted 1,817 motor vehicle thefts, down from 1,982 in 2023. Anyone buying a used vehicle can check the DPS stolen vehicle hot sheet, updated nightly at 2 a.m. DPS says to call law enforcement rather than intervene.