Troopers, Wasilla police nab burglary suspects

WASILLA -- Wasilla police and Alaska State Troopers chased two men through back roads and four-wheeler trails before arresting them Monday, after a woman caught the pair burgling her Wasilla home, troopers reported.

Cory L. Steininger, 20, of Wasilla, and Dustin D. Peters, 19, of Willow, confessed to a series of burglaries in the Wasilla area and are suspected of taking more than $100,000 worth of property, including a 1986 Porsche 911 that went missing from a Wasilla residence on Oct. 22, according to court documents.

The pair allegedly burgled two other residences Monday before Cynthia Schaefer came home Monday afternoon and saw them emerging from her house.

As Schaefer arrived, one of the men reportedly opened the front door, looked directly at her and then closed the door.

The man then jumped on the back of a four-wheeler and the pair drove off down a trail behind the residence, Schaefer said. Both were reported to be wearing dark clothing.

Schaefer followed them down Schrock Road but eventually lost the four-wheeler and called troopers. Trooper Jeff Simpson followed the four-wheeler tracks to Carney Road, where Trooper Kathi Peterson spotted Steininger and Peters on the green four-wheeler.

The troopers activated their lights and sirens but the suspects again sped away. Simpson and Peterson tracked the four-wheeler on foot for three miles and ended up near Wasilla-Fishhook Road, where they lost the tracks.

Several other state troopers and Wasilla police officers were in the area searching for the suspects when the men were spotted again, traveling south on Wasilla Fishhook. The pair allegedly abandoned the four-wheeler near Holiday Road and ran off into the woods.

Wasilla Police Officers apprehended Peters on Nugget Road; Trooper Robert Langendorfer and his police dog, Rocco, arrested Steininger off Melanie Road in Wasilla.

Troopers reported that six firearms and an assortment of jewelry with an estimated value of approximately $15,000 were taken from the residence in Wasilla.

Back at the trooper post in Palmer, Steininger and Peters confessed to two other burglaries in the area, which occurred Monday, troopers reported.

At one residence, the pair allegedly stole two laptop computers and jewelry, with a total estimated value of approximately $35,000.

Steininger and Peters told troopers they stole the green four-wheeler from a residence in Palmer and, on Oct. 22, stole a black 1986 Porsche 911 from a residence in Wasilla.

The owner of the Porsche, Janece Masick, said troopers found it last week abandoned on a four-wheeler trail. The vehicle was valued at approximately $40,000.

"That Porsche was cherry," Masick said. "They must have been watching the house for a couple of days because they knew it was in the garage and they knew no one was home."

Steininger and Peters were each charged with three counts of first-degree burglary, eight counts of second-degree theft and two counts of first-degree vehicle theft. They were taken to Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility, where Peters is being held in lieu of $25,000 cash bail and a court-approved third-party custodian and Steininger is being held in lieu of $20,000 cash bail and a court-approved third-party custodian.

Peters and Steininger are scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Palmer Superior Court today.

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.