Man battles burglar, recovers stolen property

PALMER — When Carl Elliott saw a stranger running out of his house, wearing his coat, holding his iPad, and with his pockets stuffed with his wife’s jewelry, of course he chased after him.

While Elliott caught the man, who Alaska State Troopers later identified as James Sweeney, in the street, his neighbor reacted to the commotion by calling 911.

“Elliot chased the suspect out of his house, into the street and was currently in a fight with the suspect,” the neighbor told dispatchers just before 10:45 a.m., Wednesday, according to an affidavit Alaska State Trooper Eric Taylor filed in the case against Sweeney.

Elliott talked to troopers in his house. He told them he’d left his house unlocked earlier that morning to go check on his parents’ house. When he got back, there was a red Pontiac in the driveway.

“Elliott said the driver of the vehicle motioned as if he was mistakenly at the residence and then backed out of the driveway and left the area,” Taylor says.

Taylor writes that the Pontiac was registered to Sweeney, who refused to tell troopers who ditched him at the house on Allison Court in the Springer Loop system on the south side of Palmer.

“Elliott said he went into the house and saw a male coming up the stairs toward the living room,” Taylor says.

Elliott told troopers he’d never seen the man before. He asked him who he was and what he was doing there, but instead of providing answers, Sweeney took off running. Taylor noticed he was wearing his $300 Klim jacket and holding his $300 iPad and his $60 remote controlled helicopter.

Elliott caught him outside, “grabbed the suspect and threw him to the ground and started yelling for help.” During the fight, Elliott cut his elbow.

Troopers pulled several rings and necklaces out of one of Sweeney’s pockets. Elliott took a picture and showed it to his wife, who said they’d come out of her jewelry box upstairs and were worth $1,200.

Sweeney was jailed at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility on charges of robbery, burglary, theft, hindering prosecution and assault. He had been wanted on a warrant for violating the conditions of his release for burglary and theft charges. His bail was set at $30,000 and he’ll need to find a custodian to watch over him before he can be released.

Court records show that in 2007 in Anchorage, Sweeney pleaded guilty to dealing or manufacturing drugs. In Palmer in 2010, a marijuana possession charge against him was dismissed. The burglary case he was wanted on the warrant for dated to 2012 in Palmer. Earlier that same year he pleaded guilty to trespassing an in return got a theft charge dismissed.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.