Rural Development opens new vistas for rural communities

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - Three men who broke into a double amputee's home, beat him, stole his prescription medication and spirited away Mugs, his black-and-white Boston terrier, are still at large, Wasilla police said Thursday.

The trio, one of whom was brandishing a long gun, burst into the man's Kalli Circle apartment at about 4:54 p.m. on Jan. 13. The men who forced their way inside the apartment were described as white, in their late teens or early 20s and all were wearing what appeared to be hooded sweatshirts.

A youth returned the victim's dog a few days ago, said Wasilla Police Lt. Craig Robinson, but a substantial amount of cash and prescription drugs are still missing.

Robinson said one of the drugs was OxyContin, a powerful painkiller. "It's probably the hottest commercially manufactured drug of choice on the street right now," he said.

There was no indication, however, why the dog was taken and then returned, and Robinson said the victim - a man in his early 50s - didn't know who the three hooded suspects were.

"It took three of these tough guys to beat up a double amputee and take his dog," Robinson said.

The intruders apparently parked in an adjoining apartment complex and walked over to the victim's apartment, which is located in a new complex north of Iditarod Elementary School, Officer Kelly Swihart said in an earlier interview.

"We saw some shoe impressions and we got some witnesses that watched them walk to and back," Swihart said last week. "We had one guy who saw what he thought was a gun - the time frames, descriptions match up."

Witnesses apparently gave varying descriptions of the gun - some referring to it as a rifle, others as a shotgun. There was also a question about whether the men were wearing hooded sweatshirts or masks, Swihart said.

Mat-Su Crime Stoppers asks that anyone with information call 745-3333. If information leads to the arrest and criminal indictment of the suspects, callers may earn up to $1,000. Caller do not have to give their names.