40-plus new felonies for out-of-state burglars

PALMER - A year and eight months after they carved a broad swath of destruction through Skwentna, a pair of East Coast brothers was hit with 44 new charges, including burglary, theft and malicious destruction of property.

Added to the seven charges each brother received in May 2010, Jeffrey Indellicati and Benjamin Cross now each stand accused of 51 felonies offenses. The new raft of charges came from a Palmer grand jury on Feb. 3.

The case began in April 2010 when Alaska State Troopers Andrew Adams and Terrence Shanigan traveled to the Fish Lakes Creek area of Skwentna to investigate several cabin break-ins.

"Two males had been seen fleeing from a second-story window of one of the cabins," Shanigan wrote in an affidavit filed in court at the time.

As troopers continued their investigation, they found more cabins and even a lodge had been burglarized. A lot of guns were stolen, as were a four-wheeler and a six-wheeler, both of which were later found stuck in the snow and mud.

"Windows were pried open, doors were kicked in, the interior of the dwellings were ransacked, all furniture and contents were flipped over and piled in the middle of the floors, and furniture and miscellaneous items were stood on end in front of every window and door as though the occupants were attempting to barricade themselves inside," according to Shanigan's affidavit.

Troopers found discarded packs of Newports and cigarette butts. There were bullet holes in walls and television sets and expended cartridges littered cabin floors.

Shanigan and Adams got into a helicopter to try and follow a set of footprints they found, but came up short.

"Residents in the area ... reported hearing what appeared to be hundreds of gunshots fired at all hours of the day and night for the previous 10 days," Shanigan wrote.

Eventually, a man with a cabin in the area contacted troopers to say he'd rented Indellicati and Cross his place for an "Alaskan vacation" and dropped them off about the time the trouble started. Later, residents heard shots coming from the man's cabin.

Shanigan, this time with Trooper Sgt. Mark Agnew, flew back to the area and hiked to the cabin, precipitating a 45-minute standoff in which Cross and Indellicati allegedly referred to themselves as "Clyde and Clyde" rather than Bonnie and Clyde.

"Both Cross and Indellicati were yelling to me that they would come out of the cabin unarmed only if I provided them with marijuana," Shanigan wrote.

Eventually, the standoff ended and the brothers were arrested, the affidavit says.

"Both Indellicati and Cross stated they were highly intoxicated at the time of our contact with them and said they were intoxicated when they were firing the guns over the previous 10 days," the affidavit says.

Cross was wanted out of Florida on burglary charges and Indellicati out of New Jersey on burglary and theft charges, Shanigan wrote.

Media reports at the time, including jailhouse interviews with the brothers, indicated they'd been living the high life after stealing and cracking open a safe full of money, partying like "rap stars" in Texas and Puerto Rico before heading north.

The initial list of charges the brothers faced named one victim. The new list includes 14 more. Skwentna, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, has 37 residents. The census also reports the area has 353 homes.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.