Accused Meadow Lakes thieves arraigned

March 3, 2006

MARY AMES/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Two men arraigned in Palmer District Court Tuesday on charges stemming from home invasions and thefts in the Meadow Lakes, scoped out the houses ahead of time, according to an investigator with Alaska State Troopers.

&#8220They were going around choosing houses because they looked unoccupied,” said Curtis Vik, with the property crimes unit. &#8220The driveways weren't shoveled.”

Investigators arrested Jack D. Hobbs, 21, Richard Kelley Jr., 20, and a 16-year-old boy Sunday in connection with the theft of several firearms, ATVs and other items from two homes whose owners were out of state earlier in February. One of the homes was extensively damaged. The teen had an outstanding warrant in another case, according to a trooper report.

The vandals poured aircraft acid on a boat, pulled chocolate syrup, ketchup and other condiments from the refrigerator and sprayed them on everything, flipped over furniture and broke the windows in the first house. Vik said the homeowner still hasn't totaled the damage to his home, but estimates it at $20,000. In the second house, there was more theft and less damage.

Investigators recovered two snowmachines, an all-terrain vehicle, several firearms and several other items, the report said. The items were not damaged, except for a little rust on the guns, Vik said.

Jeff Thon, one of the victimized homeowners, took matters into his own hands by putting up a sign listing his missing items and his phone number at the corner of Pittman Road and Meadow Lakes Loop. Then he went looking for the people callers identified as suspects and confronted one of the men, he said last week.

Vik said the sign was helpful, but troopers received a tip earlier in the case that actually got the ball rolling, and Vik expects more arrests in the case. The thieves are a group of friends, but not really organized as a gang, he said.

Trooper Sgt. Dallas Massie cautions people to make sure they first refer any information they receive about a crime to the investigating officer, and, during the course of an investigation, continue to ask if what they do is OK.

&#8220We need stuff we can use in court,” Massie said. &#8220Maybe someone can recover property, but lose evidence for us to take to court. Talk to the investigators first and see if what you want to do is good for the case.”

Hobbs and Kelley are both charged with three counts of first-degree burglary, six counts of second-degree theft, two counts of third-degree criminal mischief and one count of second-degree burglary. Bail for both men was set at $20,000 and a court-approved third-party custodian, the trooper report said.

Investigators arrested the 16-year-old boy on an outstanding warrant and took him to Mat-Su Youth Facility, the report said.

Vik said he expects to take information on the investigation to the grand jury next week. The only individual involved whose name was familiar was Hobbs, he said.

Hobbs was on probation last May when he was arrested for driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license, minor consuming alcohol and violating conditions of his release, according to court records. Court records also show open charges for a DUI in May, driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license in September and October and 11 closed cases of motor vehicle violations, including use of lights in non-authorized colors dating back to 2002, the year he turned 18.

Kelley's records show several charges filed while he was on probation in 2004, the year he turned 19, including five counts of first-degree vehicle theft in two separate cases, two counts of third-degree theft in another case, shoplifting, giving false information and driving without a license.

Vik suggests that when people are gone, they have someone shovel their driveways, suspend mail and newspaper subscriptions, put house lights on a timer and have friends check on the house from time to time.

Vik knows of only one neighborhood in the Valley that has formed an organized Neighborhood Watch, he said.

&#8220It is something that is definitely needed,” he said. &#8220Homeowners need to be the eyes and ears for us.”

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.