Troopers link burglaries, theft

PALMER -- A series of burglaries, car thefts and a kidnapping have been linked to a Wasilla man who was arrested Sunday by Palmer police, following a traffic stop on Glacier View Avenue.

Officer Donna Anthony arrested John P. Smith, 18, after he gave a false name and information and was found with empty bottles of Mike's Hard Lemonade in the vehicle and a 9mm Witness handgun under the driver's seat.

The handgun was traced to an armed burglary at the home of William Fuger near Wasilla. According to an affidavit filed by Alaska State Trooper David Willson, Fuger came home the night of Sept. 13 and, as he was entering his residence from the garage, was confronted by a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black clothing.

The man pointed a gun at Fuger and told him to freeze. Fuger tried to slam the door shut but the man started kicking through the door and said, "I'm going to shoot you Bill, I have a gun." Fuger told troopers he thought three people had broken into his house, two men and a woman.

Fuger stopped resisting and the burglars tied him up. They put a pillowcase over his head, tied his hands with phone cords, taped his fists with packaging tape and secured his feet with a belt.

Two of the burglars held Fuger at gunpoint and asked for the keys to his safe. They took $500 from Fuger's wallet, grabbed his ATM card and demanded to know his PIN number. From Fuger's safe the burglars stole $2,500 in cash, approximately $3,500 worth of jewelry, a video camera and three handguns -- including the 9mm Witness handgun recovered from Smith's car on Sept. 19.

They left Fuger tied up and stole his vehicle, a silver 2003 Ford F-250 crew-cab pickup with the personalized license plate, "UBABY." The next day, troopers found the truck on Maud Road near Mud Lake. A fire had totally destroyed it.

After the robbery, Fuger called to cancel his ATM card and explained the burglary and theft, but the bank had already recorded a $200 automated-teller machine withdrawal on his account from the Wells Fargo Bank in Wasilla.

Troopers obtained digital photos taken by the ATM security camera that night. Photos revealed two people in a light-colored crew-cab pickup withdrawing money at approximately 9:40 p.m., 12 minutes after the original report from Fuger.

The driver appeared to be a young white man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses. The passenger appeared to be a young white woman in a dark hooded sweatshirt.

Trooper Willson showed the photos to Investigator Dewayne Shelton of Palmer Police Department, who has had multiple contacts with Smith since he was 12 years old. Shelton recognized the driver as Smith; he had no doubt, the affidavit stated. Willson showed the photo to several others who have known Smith for years and they all identified the man as John Smith.

Brent LaFave was one of the individuals who identified Smith in the ATM photo. On Aug. 25, Anchorage police responded to a single-vehicle collision near Eagle River in which LaFave was an injured passenger. The driver fled the scene on foot before police arrived. LaFave initially told troopers the driver was someone named Anthony, but later admitted the driver was Smith.

The vehicle, a 1999 Oldsmobile Bravada, bore the same license plate number as a 1999 Oldsmobile Bravada that was reported stolen from a residence in Palmer earlier that day. Troopers discovered eight firearms in the back seat of the vehicle.

Several days later, troopers learned five of the firearms had been reported stolen from a residence in Soldotna on Aug. 27, along with a maroon backpack and two Mag-Lite flashlights. The victim of that burglary, Chuck Winters, met troopers in Palmer and told them the stolen firearms, the backpack and the flashlights belonged to him.

On Sept. 16, LaFave asked to meet with Willson. During an interview, LaFave confessed that Smith picked him up in Anchorage and they went to Soldotna, broke into a house and stole the guns. LaFave said he didn't see Smith steal the Bravada but suspected he stole it.

Over the next two weeks, state troopers called and visited homes in the Palmer area, looking for information about Smith and LaFave.

On Sept. 8 troopers received a call from someone who reported seeing Smith in a convenience store in Palmer, bragging, about being in a car accident with LaFave. He said he ran from the police but LaFave was caught.

Following Smith's arrest Sept. 19, he admitted kidnapping and robbing Fuger on Sept. 13. He also said he stole Fuger's truck and burned it the next day using a stolen gas can and a match.

Smith told authorities he is sorry about the incident, did not mean to scare Fuger and will write him a note of apology. He also said he has tried the criminal lifestyle, found it unappealing and wants nothing further to do with guns.

Smith is charged with kidnapping, first-degree robbery, first-degree arson, two counts of first-degree burglary, third-degree assault, 10 counts of second-degree theft, two counts of first-degree vehicle theft, two counts of third-degree criminal mischief and tampering with physical evidence.

He is currently being held at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility in lieu of $60,000 cash-only bail and a court-approved third-party custodian.