After burglarizing four businesses in one night, a Juneau man was indicted this week on four charges of second-degree burglary.
Travis Ian Johnson, 35, is alleged to have used a crowbar to break into four businesses in a building in the 400 block of Harris Street on May 2, according to the indictment. Juneau Police Department officer Eric Hoffman investigated the case, and wrote a report listed in the indictment.
The four burglarized businesses listed in the indictment include Suzanne Cohen’s acupuncture business, Armstrong-Keta, Inc., Discovery Southeast and a business identified in the indictment as Arctic Corp.
Hoffman’s report states that at about 9:45 a.m. May 3, Cohen reported that she arrived at work to find her office door had been forced open and several dollar coins and glass bowls were missing. The missing property was worth an estimated $50, Hoffman reported.
Hoffman then viewed security footage from the previous night, according to the indictment. The video, Hoffman wrote in his report, showed Johnson forcing his way into a different office door with a long, skinny pry bar at about 9 p.m. May 2. That office, Hoffman wrote, contained just files, and nothing was stolen.
Hoffman was quickly able to identify Johnson based on the security footage, Hoffman wrote.
“Johnson is well known to me from prior calls,” Hoffman wrote in his report.
Cohen’s office door was far enough down the hallway, according to charging documents, that the break-in at her office was not caught on camera. The damage on the door, Hoffman wrote, appeared similar to the tool Johnson was seen using on camera.
Hoffman found Johnson four days later, according to the indictment, and was able to identify him as the same as the man in the security video.
“While his clothing was different, everything about his appearance and walk was identical to the burglar caught on camera,” Hoffman wrote. “Everything from Johnson’s haircut to the bend in his nose was the same in person as captured on security footage.”
Johnson has multiple open court cases, according to online court records and was on release from a larceny charge in February. Johnson was charged with violating his conditions of release along with burglary.
Johnson led police on a chase in March, according to a JPD release at the time, as he was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court with the original charge of fourth-degree drug misconduct. Johnson was arrested at the time for failing to stop at the direction of an officer, reckless endangerment domestic violence and for the warrant.
Other indictments
• Mayabess L. Brown, 31, was indicted this week on one charge of hindering the apprehension of a person who had committed a felony. This is a class C felony, according to the indictment.
• Harriet C. Hotch, 42, was indicted this week on one charge of first-degree promotion of contraband (a class C felony) and one charge of second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance (a class B felony). The indictment alleges that Hotch possessed a controlled substance (identified as 2.5 grams or more of methamphetamine) while she was in a correctional facility.
• Stephen J. Burgess, 34, was indicted this week on one charge of first-degree promotion of contraband (a class C felony). The indictment alleges Burgess made, obtained or possessed contraband (identified as a deadly or defensive weapon) while he was in a correctional facility.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
