Meadow Lakes burglary victim fights back

February 24, 2006

MARY AMES\Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - When a Valley man learned he was one of those victimized during a string of burglaries earlier this month, he took action to get his things back and help end the thefts in his Meadow Lakes neighborhood.

Jeff Thon was out of state when his daughter called to tell him about a burglary at his house sometime around Feb. 6, he said.

&#8220First, they broke into my next-door neighbor's house, and about a day later broke into my place,” Thon said. &#8220It looked like they spent about a day wrecking the neighbor's house. They poured battery acid all over, dumped Gorilla Glue on everything. There was about $30,000 in damage and they took his TV and stuff, but there wasn't much to steal.”

When the burglars turned their attention to Thon's house, they snagged two 2004 snowmachines, a four-wheeler, a Browning shotgun and a .357-caliber Magnum, he said.

Thon said his neighbor, Mark Diaz, had also been out of town and was forced to return to deal with the damage to his house.

&#8220They've been robbing places left and right in this area,” Thon said. &#8220Mark and I agreed to make this sign, hoping to get calls and names. Then he went to the pawn shops and found his stuff.”

The sign Diaz and Thon posted at the corner of Pittman Road and Meadow Lakes Loop offers a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves.

&#8220The Alaska State Troopers are doing a wonderful job in a hard situation,” Thon said. &#8220They've taken fingerprints and have DNA, but they have about 128 cases out here. We took it upon ourselves to help solve this. They need help, and there are a lot of good citizens out there who are willing to help.”

Four calls came in, and all mentioned the same four names as probable burglars, Thon said.

&#8220These thieves, all in their 20s, had lots of people, trying to be good Christians, helping them out in the past from what we hear,” he said. &#8220But they didn't take it to heart. Everyone wants this little group of thieves in jail.”

Although he had been advised not to, Thon confronted one of the young men after hearing where he might be living.

&#8220I did it because I wanted my stuff back,” he said. &#8220I built better forts as a kid than the houses some of those kids are living in. This guy was about 20, living at his dad's house for the moment, although he's been kicked out several times. Mom was long gone, and there were two young girls living there. I said to him, ‘What are you going to do? You have to break this cycle.'”

Thon said he stayed outside the house when he talked to the young man, who at first denied doing anything but standing outside the houses while his cohorts went in to vandalize and steal. Eventually, the man told Thon his two snowmachines were out in the woods behind the house, that they were buying meth with money from the thefts and that he would see about locating the other stolen items.

&#8220I cut a deal with him,” Thon said. &#8220I feel sorry for these kids. They have no hope, and when you don't have hope, you have nothing. We need a program in the Valley to take care of these kids.”

Thon said Trooper Christopher Long and Investigator Curtis Vik are working the case and he expects them to make arrests soon.

Neither Long nor Vik would comment on the cases, but Long said he thinks at least one burglary a day gets reported to troopers, but he has no idea what the total numbers are. Vik also said he had no idea about total numbers.

Since the first of the month, until mid-day Thursday, troopers responded to at least 26 reports of thefts from homes, businesses and churches in the Valley, according to press releases from the troopers.

&#8220The sad part is that once they are arrested, they're probably going to be back out on bail,” Thon said. &#8220I feel sorry for the troopers. They put in all this time and work, but the jails are full. The thieves are going to be back out again.”

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@ frontiersman.com.