Homeowner scares off burglar

PALMER -- A 47-year old Wasilla woman was charged with burglary after allegedly breaking into a Fairview Loop home in order to take prescription drugs.

Norma Cochran was charged with first-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief in two separate incidents. She is scheduled for arraignment today in Palmer Superior Court.

On May 13, a woman reported to Alaska State Troopers that her home had been burglarized during the night. For a Mother's Day outing, she and her daughters had traveled to Seward, and when they returned home late, the suspect's Outback Subaru was parked in her driveway.

"My key doesn't work very well, and I was trying to get the door open when I noticed lights on in two bedrooms and the living room window broken," the victim said. "I was puzzled, not really thinking someone was in my house."

As the homeowner stood at the front door, the suspect exited her house through a back window and walked around front. The homeowner's daughter tried to ask the woman what she was doing. She climbed into her Subaru and sped away before they could get the entire license plate number.

Two years earlier, the homeowner said, her mother passed away. She had been on pain medicine and other medicines that had not yet been tossed out. "I had them gathered into a bag and was thinking I should take them to the dump. I don't know how this woman would know we had medications in the house," she said.

One of the medications was Adivan, a strong pain reliever.

The homeowner said she reported the matter to the troopers, yet whenever she spotted a white Subaru Outback around town, she looked to see if it was the same person who broke into her home. On June 23, one of her daughters saw the suspect attempting to get into a neighbor's home and the incident was reported to troopers. Later that day, Cochran came to the troopers and reportedly confessed she broke into the home to get prescription drugs.

"My question is, how can someone randomly pick a home and decide there might be medications?" the victim said. Her home had $2,000 in damages between the broken living room window, damaged screens and other property destruction, she said.

Sgt. Pat Davis, head of the Mat-Su Drug Unit, said his office reviews trooper drug cases such as this type of burglary, which occur as much as five times a month, though it seems to go in spurts. Burglary becomes the prevalent charge unless suspects can be caught with the drugs in their possession.

"I can't attest to how these people find out someone has medications. It's usually through an acquaintance or another friend," Davis said. "The target pain pills are Oxycontin and methadone for pain management."