Federal court charges Three Bears thieves

Frontiersman staff

ANCHORAGE — Last month’s burglary at the gun counter in Three Bears on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway has wound up in federal court.

A federal grand jury charged seven people with federal gun crimes stemming from the Oct. 17 burglary, according to a press release issued Tuesday.

John Stern, 20, Mitchell Cupp, 19, Amber Helmann, 30, Joseph Price, 24, Christopher Everly, 18, Laurie Pyle, 39 and Kevin Angel, 29, were all charged with possession and disposal of stolen guns.

Stern and Cupp were also charged with stealing guns from a federally licensed dealer and Price was also charged with being a felon in possession of a gun.

The charges carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The theft was caught on surveillance cameras in the gun section. The thieves are seen emerging from hiding spots after the store closed, prying open the drawer that held the extra key to the gun case, emptying the case into bags taken from a display rack and leaving through a fire exit. The whole thing took 12 minutes. Stern apparently worked for the store as a night stocker.