Intruder wields hot dog

TALKEETNA -- Alaska State Troopers are looking for a masked intruder who broke into a Caswell Lakes home last week, equipped with a bun-length hot dog apparently meant to distract the family dogs.

The break-in, which occurred around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, was discovered when a 12-year-old girl sleeping on the living room couch was awakened by her small dog. When the girl woke up, the suspect was bent over apparently trying to entice the dog with the wiener.

"She told me that she opened her mouth and tried to scream, but nothing came out," said Talkeetna trooper Ted Norris. "It was very traumatic for her."

The girl's father was also awakened by other family dogs in the house, Norris said. Unfortunately, one of those dogs ran into the living room and, spying the hot dog, ate the evidence, Norris said.

Not only did the intruder terrify the 12-year-old girl, but the girl's father found all of the light bulbs to the outside lights on the house had been removed. Norris said he recovered shards from one of the bulbs on the ground.

The masked man also slashed all four tires on the family's Toyota truck, troopers reported. The damage was estimated at $350.

Troopers have interviewed one man they suspect might have been involved in the break-in, Norris said.

The man agreed to let Norris search his home without a search warrant, Norris said. The man apparently had similar bun-length hot dogs in his refrigerator, Norris claimed.

Investigators can't focus on one person at this time, Norris said, but that particular suspect has a set of circumstances he's having a hard time explaining.

While troopers can't speculate about what the intruder's intention was in invading the Caswell Lakes home, Norris said he could imagine that the intruder probably wasn't up to anything good.