An interior door at the Russian Orthodox church that was allegedly broken during the incident. /Courtesy: Mike Holman, UDPS

A man is facing felony charges after allegedly stealing a truck and then breaking into Unalaska’s Russian Orthodox church on Sunday.

Ishmael Guerrero, 29, is accused of causing more than $2,000 in damage at the church, which is a national historic site. He was arraigned Monday in Unalaska District Court on three felony charges and five misdemeanors.

Police chief Jamie Sunderland says the situation began at the airport around noon on Sunday. A UniSea employee had left her company vehicle outside the building while she went inside for a few minutes. The keys were in the center console.

Sunderland says when the employee returned, her truck was gone. A few minutes later, an off-duty state trooper spotted it "careening down the road" on the other side of town, coming to a stop outside the Orthodox church. The trooper didn't know then that the truck was stolen.

"The trooper contacted the person and identified himself, thinking this is a drunk driver or something," Sunderland says. "And the person, I guess, said something to the effect that they didn’t have a license, and took off."

A few minutes later, Sunderland says the trooper and a public safety volunteer who'd stopped to help got a radio call about a man screaming and removing his shirt in the church’s graveyard. Then, Sunderland says, they heard a commotion inside the building.

"And they discover that this fellow has apparently broken in to the Russian Orthodox church and is kind of thrashing around in there, damaging some things inside the church," Sunderland says. Those items allegedly include a 200-year-old candelabra and a church pew.

Sunderland says the trooper and volunteer went inside and tried to restrain Guerrero, who allegedly fought back.

The police who’d been looking for the stolen truck arrived a few minutes later. They placed Guerrero under arrest, but Sunderland says he remained combative all the way to the city jail.

In court Monday, Guerrero said he’d only been in Unalaska for a couple of weeks, working for a seafood processor. His primary address is in California.

Police say Guerrero has been trying to leave town for the past few days, but hasn’t been able to get on a flight. On Saturday, police responded to a report that Guerrero was upset and acting strangely at the airport. Sunderland says it turned out to be minor.

And so far, Sunderland says there’s no indication that Guerrero was intoxicated during either incident. But he says Guerrero has been acting out at the jail. He expects more charges will be filed against Guerrero soon relating to the alleged reckless driving.

Right now, Guerrero faces felony vehicle theft and burglary charges. Those carry up to five years in jail and $50,000 fines. He's also accused of felony criminal mischief, assaulting a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. And he’s charged with driving without a license and committing unlawful acts at a historic place.

Guerrero has prior convictions in California, but no criminal history in Alaska. At his arraignment, he requested a public defender, after Magistrate Judge Jane Pearson urged him to get one.

Pearson waived any monetary bail posting, but said she was concerned Guerrero could be a danger to the community. She ordered him to have a third party custodian. He'll stay in jail until the court appoints one. After that, he'll have to stay away from the church, the driver of the UniSea truck and the people involved in his arrest.

Guerrero will be back in court May 6 for a pre-indictment hearing.

MORE: Police: Recent Vehicle Theft a Warning to Residents.