Couple arrested on theft charges

WASILLA — A couple originally charged in connection with two robberies may now be responsible for as many as six, authorities said.

Timothy W. Taylor, 35, and Linda Friend, 31, both of Wasilla, face a single count each of first-degree burglary and second-degree theft, according to documents filed in the Palmer superior court.

Alaska State Troopers arrested Taylor and Friend March 12, after victims of one of their victims passed confidential information gleaned from an anonymous caller in connection with an offered reward, according to an affidavit authored by Trooper Andrew Ballesteros.

The caller reportedly told the victim that Taylor had sold a walrus-jawbone cribbage set with an eagle carving on it to an Eagle River antiques shop for $75, Ballesteros wrote.

Taylor worked for a door-to-door meat sales company, Natural Express (formerly known as, and still owned by, Harding Ranch Meats Inc., according to state business records) and “was selling meat in the area near the time of the burglary/thefts,” Ballesteros wrote.

At least one of the victims was a customer of Harding Ranch Meats, according to Ballesteros.

Troopers with the Criminal Suppression Unit executed two search warrants on a residence and storage unit in Wasilla, according to trooper dispatches.

Troopers recovered “several hundred stolen items,” including:

• 35 stolen firearms

• Several rare paintings

• Sporting equipment

Among the items troopers recovered were numerous skulls (brown bear, polar bear, otter, wolf, and alligator) and antlers, including a human skull, Ballesteros wrote. Troopers also recovered collectable glass Coke bottles, Yukon stoves, skinning knifes, a foot locker containing personal items, bags of “adult material,” a trunk containing a Social Security card number and an original birth certificate, according to the affidavit.

Friend ”further stated that she had photos on her cellphone, which she gave me consent to view on her cellphone,” he wrote. “I observed photos of the stolen human skull that were obviously taken at her residence and also depicted Timothy with the human skull.”

In addition to the recovered property from six burglaries, Taylor and Friend stole mail from U.S. mailboxes, affecting “several hundred victims,” according to troopers. The investigation originally started as a multi-jurisdictional effort involving the Wasilla Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and U.S. Postal Service Inspectors, according to trooper dispatches.

Those affected by the mail fraud have been notified, according to troopers.

Troopers estimate the value of recovered stolen items at $20,000.

“Many of the stolen times were family heirlooms and keepsakes and had more sentimental value than dollar value,” Ballesteros wrote.

Friend remained in Hiland Mountain Correctional Center Monday afternoon on $5,000 cash or corporate bail with court-appointed third-party custodial requirements.

Taylor remained in Mat-Su Pretrial on $5,000 cash or corporate bond.

Troopers have obtained arrest warrants for two other parties involved in the case.

Harding Ranch Meats received an F-rating from the regional Better Business Bureau for “a pattern of complaints from consumers regarding sales practice and customer service issues,” according to the Bureau website.

“Consumers claim the company ignores “No Soliciting” and “No trespassing” signs; consumers also claim the company continues to solicit them at home even after they have indicated they are not interested,” the website continues.

The phone number on the Harding Ranch web site and business license documents had been disconnected Monday.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.