Man accused in Walmart theft, leading police chase

A man is accused of stealing a TV from Walmart and leading police on a high-speed chase before crashing and running away, according to court documents.

On July 8, a Walmart employee reported that a man, later identified as John R. Kearney, 28, had returned after stealing a TV and other electronics earlier in the day, according to the report by an Oak Harbor police office. Kearney left in a green Volkswagen before police arrived.

An officer located the car, which didn’t yield, and pursued it at a high rate of speed. The car crashed on Navy base housing near Regatta Drive and the driver fled on foot.

The officers saw that a 49-inch, flat-screen TV was in the back of the car left behind.

Deputies with the Island County Sheriff’s Office were able to identify Kearney as the driver because they responded earlier in the day when the car had gotten stock on Waterloo Road and had to be towed.

Navy security helped the police search for Kearney but were unable to find him, the report states.

Prosecutors charged Kearney, identified as an Everett resident, in Island County Superior Court Aug. 8 with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and theft in the second degree.