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Boise man arrested after stealing airplane in Las Vegas and landing in California, police say

Damian Zukaitis, 40, is accused of stealing an airplane out of a Las Vegas hangar.

BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho man was arrested for stealing a plane from a Las Vegas hangar and flying the aircraft to a desert near an airport in Barstow, California. 

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Barstow Station said they arrested 40-year-old Damian Zukaitis after he landed a stolen Kitfox airplane, valued at $80,000, near Dagget Airport on Dec. 30.

Police said the incident began around 6 p.m. when the owner of the plane, Jeff Cohn, was called by the Air Force Search and Rescue after receiving an emergency signal from the plane that's activated when it detects a downed aircraft. 

Cohn informed the Air Force that he wasn't flying. He then drove to the Las Vegas hangar to find his plane missing.

Around 6:45 p.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Barstow station received information from the FAA that the airplane landed in the desert near the Barstow Airport. Police said when they arrived that they found Zukaitis driving down Minneloa Road towards the airport.

Police said Zukaitis ran from police and was taken into custody. 

Zukaitis was held by police and booked into the Barstow jail, police said. He is being charged with transporting stolen property across state lines and stealing an aircraft.

The Las Vegas Police Department is investigating the incident.  

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