Man arrested for burglaries

PALMER -- A 43-year-old man faces up to 10 years in prison after being arrested on first-degree burglary and other charges allegedly related to break-ins at nine cabins from Big Lake to Willow.

Alaska State Troopers took Brian E. Church into custody Wednesday on an outstanding arrest warrant. He was lodged at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility in lieu of $25,000 cash-only bail. A MSPTF spokeswoman said Monday Church had been transported to Anchorage Jail.

Burglaries occurred from Aug. 22 through Sept. 27 at remote cabins on Big, Flat, Never-Never, Cow and Red Shirt lakes, according to charging documents. None are accessible by road and do not have a history of frequent burglary reports, troopers said.

The suspect in the burglaries stayed in some of the cabins for several days at a time, troopers said. Food, clothing, bedding, books, magazines, a television, a VCR, a DVD player, DVD movies and videotapes were stolen, they said.

The investigation centered on Church when a workman arrived at a Red Shirt Lake cabin on Sept. 27 to do repairs for the owner. The worker saw someone matching Church's description leaving through a window, charging documents said. The employee also found a wallet with identification cards belonging to Church. He left a note telling Church that troopers were looking for him.

Troopers said the workman had been made aware of the rash of burglaries in the area through information from the Red Shirt Lake Homeowners Association. James Seeley, director of the association, told troopers at least seven cabins on Red Shirt Lake had been burglarized.

Troopers located Church at a cabin on the north side of Cow Lake on Oct. 4. It was less than a mile from the cabin where he had reportedly been seen by the workman. Troopers arrested Church the same day and lodged him at MSPTF.

Investigators found "a large quantity of cigarette butts demonstrating a lengthy period of time spent in the cabin. In addition, approximately 20 military-style meals ready to eat were found inside he cabin," according to charging documents.

They also found the note the workman had left for Church. "On the back of the note was a hand-written list of names of fictional monsters, devils, and other fantasy creatures, almost identical in appearance to two such lists that were found at the scene of a burglary in the area of Flat Lake," charging documents said.

Court papers listed Church as a Fairbanks resident. In addition to first-degree burglary, he was charged with first-degree criminal trespass and fourth-degree criminal mischief.