Local businesses targeted by robberies, vandalism

Last week, the Wasilla Police Department (WPD) responded to three separate robberies at the same business.

WPD reported that Evangelo’s was robbed during two separate burglaries, first on July 23, and again on July 25, resulting in over $3,500 in stolen property and significant property damage. While responding, WPD collected physical evidence including fingerprints and surveillance camera footage, as well as making recommendations for security system upgrades which would provide monitoring with alerts. The upgrades were immediately implemented by the business.

On July 26, a third burglary occurred at Evangelo’s. WPD was immediately dispatched to the restaurant and given real-time information about a suspect being on-scene and in the building at the time of the call.

Officers arrived on scene within minutes and observed the suspect fleeing on foot before a perimeter could be established. Following a coordinated response effort involving WPD K9 Echo, the WPD drone team, and support from the Alaska State Troopers, the suspect was apprehended after a mile-long evasion.

WPD said in a press release that the suspect was determined to be a runaway juvenile, who later admitted to committing all three burglaries, including the theft of several thousand dollars and additional felony-level property damage in the final incident.

The juvenile was later remanded to the custody of the Mat-Su Youth Facility on multiple counts of Burglary, Theft, Criminal Mischief, and Criminal Trespass. Additional charges may be applied as the investigation continues. The juvenile suspect’s parents were notified of the incident.

The burglaries come nearly a month after the Grape Tap was also broken into and robbed.

“It appears by the evidence that it was a young male,” said owner Kristin Cook, who was able get a few images from the restaurant’s security system, showing what appeared to be the back of the suspect’s head. “Unfortunately, we did not get a better picture.”

Cook says that she believes the thief, or thieves, were kids based upon the size of the window that appeared to be the point of entry, as well as image caught during the robbery. She says the burglary cost her bar about 18 bottles of red wine, some of those wines are not available in stores. She asked the public for help, asking if anyone spots someone drinking the wine or spies a bottle in a public trash, to let the owners know.

The Grape Tap was hit again when sometime after 2:00 pm on July 4, their dumpster was spray painted with ‘Blue.’

“I saw another one down the street as well,” she says, adding that it appeared that at least two local business had also been spray painted, as well as locations in Big Lake and the old Sears building.

Like Evangelo’s, Cook says that they have added the number of cameras in and around the Grape Tap as they increase their security measures.

Cook says the WPD and the City of Wasilla were responsive and have been working to determine who committed the crimes, and for Cook, she wants to try to figure out how to help these kids, many who appear to be wandering around this summer.

“I want to help these kids, but I also want them to be held accountable.”

WPD says that they cannot confirm if the two cases are related at this time and that any connection to any other juvenile related cases in Wasilla is still being investigated.

“I can tell you that the initial investigation into the totality of the Evangelo’s cases, that it appears that it was just the one juvenile involved,” said WPD Public Records and Information spokesperson Amanda Graham.

If anyone has any information on who broke into The Grape Tap or who is marking dumpsters, please the Wasilla Police Department.