More burglaries reported

WASILLA -- Alaska State Troopers are still looking for an individual or individuals believed responsible for a string of commercial property burglaries in the Palmer-Wasilla area over the last several weeks.

On Thursday, Nov. 7, at about 8:40 a.m., troopers investigated a reported burglary at the Shadow Mountain Building near Mile 4.7 Palmer-Wasilla Hwy. Troopers found that between 5:50 p.m. on Nov. 6 and 7:20 a.m. on Nov. 7, someone had forced entry into the building and then into individual offices located inside the building.

Three businesses in the building suffered damage and theft of office equipment, including computers, monitors and office supplies.

At about 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, troopers received a report of burglary at Steve Norton Enterprises at Mile 6 Palmer-Wasilla Hwy. Someone had reportedly broken into the building and stolen three pistols, computer equipment and construction tools totaling about $7,000.

Troopers, investigators from the Palmer General Investigations Unit and technicians from the state crime lab investigated the incident. According to Trooper Mike Burkmire, preliminary analysis of evidence indicates that both the Shadow Mountain and Norton Enterprises burglaries are linked to burglaries at several other commercial properties in recent weeks.

Lesli Norton found the Norton burglary when she opened the family business on Monday.

"I came in and noticed drawers and cabinets opened up," she said Wednesday.

According to Norton, the business is still in the process of inventorying their losses, which included computers, scanners, printers, a laptop computer and construction power tools.

"Some of our tools are out on jobs," she explained.

Norton added that the burglars seemed to target specific items for theft and ignored other items that were in the same area. Burkmire confirmed her observation, saying that the burglars had appeared to be very selective in the items that were stolen in the previous incidents.

Items recovered from previous burglaries include a Mazda truck and a 1975 Corvette stolen from Pro Auto on Oct. 29, according to troopers' reports. The truck was recovered the same afternoon on a trail off of Grumman Drive, and the Corvette was discovered on the road to the Houston dump near Mile 59 Parks Hwy, also on the same day.

A 1987 Dodge truck reported stolen from Stage III automotive on Nov. 2 was recovered, according to Burkmire, before it was actually reported stolen. Burkmire said troopers had impounded the truck when it was reported abandoned on a neighborhood street that morning before Stage III reported it stolen.

Burkmire said a 2000 International tow truck reported stolen from a Wasilla residence on Nov. 1 with an impounded truck still hooked to it was recovered approximately two days later on Outrigger Road off of Knik Goosebay Road. According to Burkmire, that theft has not been clearly linked to the business burglaries.

Burkmire said that two trucks reported stolen in previous incidents are still missing. The first is a red 1994 Chevrolet truck reported stolen on Oct. 29 from Custom Truck on the Parks Highway in Wasilla. At the time it was stolen it reportedly had a snowplow on the front and no tailgate. The second is a white 1998 limited edition Dodge XLT Mark III pickup, license plate DNJ684, reported stolen on Nov. 2 from Stage III Automotive on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

According to Trooper Derek DeGraaf, a tan Honda Foreman four-wheeler is also still missing from the Nov. 4 burglary at AeroWolf Hangar in Palmer.

Other items taken in the previous burglaries have included office equipment, computers, automotive tools, a generator, a compressor and electronic automotive diagnostic devices.

Troopers ask that anyone with information about these burglaries or any of the missing items call the Palmer troopers at 745-2131 or, to remain anonymous, call Mat-Su Crime Stoppers at 745-3333.