Men charged in Big Lake burglary

PALMER — A grand jury has charged a 26-year-old man with a Big Lake burglary committed over the summer.

Michael Moore was charged with burglary and theft last week. A co-defendant, Christopher Chudnofsky, 41, was charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief.

According to documents filed in court, at 1:40 p.m., June 22, an Anchorage man called Alaska State Troopers to say his cabin on Big Lake — which he had not visited for three weeks — had been burglarized and an air compressor and generator stolen.

The machinery was worth $600 and the thieves did $250 in damage breaking through his doorway.

The cabin owner “responded to Northshore Pawn and Thrift in Big Lake and located his air compressor. The compressor was identified by an adaptor on the compressor that was custom fit,” according to documents prosecutor Melissa Wininger-Howard filed in the case.

Trooper James Calhoun went to the same pawnshop and picked up pawn slips for the air compressor, which led him to Chudnofsky.

A couple weeks later, on July 9, that same trooper pulled a car over and summonsed the driver for driving on a revoked license. The driver called a friend to come pick up the car.

That friend was Chudnofsky.

“Trooper Calhoun interviewed him regarding the burglary. Christopher initially denied stealing the compressor, but shortly after admitted to burglarizing the cabin with Michael A. Moore. Christopher admitted a crowbar was used to break into the cabin,” Wininger-Howard wrote. “Christopher stated to Trooper Calhoun that he took the air compressor and Michael took the generator.”

Moore does not have a listing in jail records and court records show a warrant was issued for his arrest Nov. 22 and then again on Nov. 26, which means he’s still at large.

Chudnofsky is also apparently at-large, having failed to appear for a court hearing on Nov. 26.

Both warrants require a bail amount of $10,000 and that, after arrested, both men find third parties to watch them before they can be released again.

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