ANCHORAGE - Two Anchorage parents hope their urgent plea to their son might save his life.
Joshua Keeling’s parents said their son is on the run, on drugs and a danger to himself.
“It’s just really sad to see him in that condition, knowing his demeanor when he’s straight,” said Dennis Keeling, Joshua’s father. “He’s just a great kid.”
This past weekend, Joshua, 23, walked away from Cordova House. He was on probation for felony theft. His parents said he led police on a chase but they never caught him.
“My major concern came when he was driving on the wrong side the road, sideways, with no concern over anybody else that was out there,” Dennis Keeling said. “I knew that my son had a real issue.”
A judge issued a warrant for his arrest and police said they’re actively looking for him.
“We want him safe and we want him in jail,” said Ashley Nohr, Joshua’s mother. “We want him off the streets. We want him picked up.”
Joshua’s parents hope he’ll get the treatment he’s asked for in the past while behind bars.
“I would rather visit him in jail than not be able to visit him at all,” Dennis Keeling said.
Drugs are a growing epidemic for Alaskans her son’s age, Nohr said.
“It’s heroin and meth and it’s taking them, just taking them and it’s ripping them apart,” she said.
Nohr has one thing to say to her son.
“Josh, we want you to turn yourself in,” she said. “That’s what we want. We want you to turn yourself in. You’ve got a family that loves you.”
She said Joshua is not a lost cause and only needs to take the correct next step.
Dennis Keeling said his son drives a gold Chevy 1500 pickup truck with broken back windows. He asked anyone who might see Joshua Keeling to call 911, avoid trying to apprehend him and wait for officers to take him into custody.