Teens arrested for Little Su fee station fire

MAT-SU -- Alaska State Troopers have arrested three teen-agers in connection with the June 2 burglary and burning of the Little Susitna Public Use Facility fee station near Point MacKenzie Road.

Two boys and one girl, each 17 years old, were taken into custody June 18 and lodged at Mat-Su Youth Facility in Palmer. The teen-agers are all Wasilla residents.

Charges include first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree theft, attempted second-degree theft, third-degree theft, hindering prosecution in the first degree, tampering with physical evidence and criminally negligent burning, according to a trooper report.

The booth contained a safe, radio equipment and office supplies. It was used by those paying fees for camping or boat launching.

The original damage estimate was $10,000. However, troopers recently increased that estimate to $16,000.

Fire destroyed the building and its contents, leaving only a charred area where the structure previously stood.

Troopers said the suspects stole a commercial-grade acetylene torch from a residence near Point MacKenzie Road and used it in an attempt to open the safe.

They believe the suspects "negligently set the building on fire" and then fled.

A new fee station was quickly built and opened on June 13, said Dennis Heikes, Mat-Su area superintendent for Alaska State Parks.

The Alaska Fish and Game Department gave $7,000 for materials and State Parks staff members' overtime to get the new building erected. In addition, Heikes said the Point MacKenzie Correctional Facility volunteered the use of its carpentry crew for the project.

"They also let us use their grader and dump truck for widening the road," he said. "They even went so far as to donate a pickup truck of bedding plants from their greenhouse to put on the barrier islands on either side of the building."

Heikes said his maintenance staff put in long days getting the booth up and running during the busy salmon season. It now is located closer to the campground, he said.

The arrests result from an investigation by the Alaska State Troopers' patrol unit and the agency's burglary suppression unit, both based in Palmer. Heikes added that his chief ranger, Pat Murphy, aided the troopers.

"He worked the case pretty heavily," Heikes said.