A woman suspected of damaging multiple churches on a night in October is facing three felony charges, according to an indictment filed last week.
Alesa N. Abbott, 24, was indicted for second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and third-degree criminal mischief. Abbott was arrested Oct. 23 when she was found illegally inside Shepherd of the Valley Church with the pastor’s credit card in her possession, the indictment alleged. Those three charges are all class C felonies, and the indictment was filed Thursday, Nov. 8.
She was also indicted for causing more than $750 in property damage to the Juneau Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to the Juneau Police Department at the time, the LDS church sustained about $10,000 damage on that night as all 21 of its front windows were broken.
That same night, there were windows broken at the Juneau Christian Center and Juneau Church of Christ as well, according to police at the time. JPD Lt. Krag Campbell said Tuesday that JPD forwarded charges against Abbott on those instances as well, but the District Attorney’s Office chose to charge Abbott with three charges. Campbell said that sometimes, while prosecutors might not look to convict a defendant on all charges, they’ll pursue the charges they can prove and tack on information from the police in the sentencing or restitution.
Other indictments include:
• Lester Michael Anaya, 31, was indicted for a felony driving under the influence and refusing to submit to a chemical test on Oct. 21. The indictment states Anaya was under the influence and had been convicted two or more times since 1996. He also refused to give a breath sample, the indictment alleges. Both charges are class C felonies.
• Jeremy C. Beebe, 43, was indicted for third-degree weapons misconduct for possessing a gun after having had a felony conviction. That’s a class C felony.
• Taylor H. Cope, 31, was indicted for first-degree vehicle theft and failing to stop at the direction of an officer. On Oct. 10, according to the indictment, stole a vehicle and did not stop when a police officer directed Cope to. Both charges are class C felonies.
• Eliseth Carmen Harman, 40, was indicted for third-degree assault and driving under the influence. On Oct. 24, Harman drove under the influence and harmed another person (minor injuries), according to JPD at the time. Third-degree assault is a class C felony and driving under the influence is a class A misdemeanor.
• David R. Haynes, 42, was indicted for one count of second-degree theft for buying, receiving, retaining, concealing or disposing of stolen property with reckless disregard that the property was stolen on Oct. 18. The value of the property or services was between $750 and $25,000. Second-degree theft is a class C felony.
• Michael L. Maas, 32, was indicted for first-degre online enticement of a minor. The indictment alleges that Maas, knowingly used a computer to entice a person under the age of 16 on Aug. 8, 2017. That is a class B felony.
• Tyler D. Trapp, 24, was indicted for first-degree vehicle theft and second-degree forgery for a crime committed Oct. 25. Both charges are class C felonies.
• A 30-year-old woman was indicted for third-degree assault for a case of domestic violence. The indictment alleges that the woman used a dangerous instrument to frighten someone in the Juneau area. Third-degree assault is a class C felony.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
