Thursday, April 28, 2011

Spenard LDS Chapel Among Six Churches Burglarized In Anchorage, Alaska; Teenage Burglar Caught

A chapel belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was among five churches burglarized in Anchorage, Alaska, and the teenage burglar was arrested shortly after he attempted to burglarize one of them a second time. Media stories from the Anchorage Daily News, KTVA Channel 11, and KTUU Channel 2. KTUU news video embedded below:

 


KTVA news video embedded below:



The targeted churches were concentrated in the Spenard and southwest Anchorage areas. The first burglary took place on April 11th, 2011 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 3900 Wisconsin St. Police say the burglar got in through a window and took as much as $300 in collections. Other area churches hit include the LDS chapel on 3340 W. 40th St., Faith Christian Community, Jewel Lake United Methodist, St. Benedict Lumen Christi, and Sand Lake Baptist Church. According to APD spokesperson Marlene Lammers, there weren’t any signs of vandalism against the churches beyond damage to the entry points.

However, on April 27th, the burglar got greedy and decided to go back to Faith Community Church, according to KTUU. Wrong move -- a church employee was watching, spotted him, and notified the Anchorage Police Department. APD responded and took a 17-year-old boy into custody, confiscating a hammer, crowbar and marijuana. The boy has been charged with five counts of second-degree burglary, as well as one count each of misconduct involving a controlled substance, possession of burglary tools, third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree theft. He is being held at McLaughlin Youth Center. Because he's a juvenile, his name has not been released.

At least the 17-year-old wasn't fussy about denominations. Of course, when you're supporting a marijuana habit, you're probably not too fussy about how you pay for it.

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