A Juneau man arrested after allegedly breaking into two separate residences on Tuesday was arraigned in court Wednesday afternoon, with bail set at $10,000.
Jeremiah Moore Houston, 36, was arrested after the Juneau Police Department responded to a burglar alarm at a residence on Columbia Boulevard at about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, said department spokesperson Erann Kalwara in a press release. Officers responded and determined that the back door had been kicked in, causing about $500 damage, Kalwara said. The homeowner advised nothing appeared to be missing from the residence.
At about 2:45 p.m. the same day, a citizen reported a suspicious man carrying a duffle bag in the area of View Drive near Mendenhall Loop Road (Back Loop).
JPD officers and a U.S. Forest Service officer responded and a JPD officer discovered footprints leading from the area to a residence in the 9300 block of Mendenhall Loop Road. Other officers located a man in the woods who matched the description of the suspicious subject and he was identified as Houston.
As officers conducted the initial investigation, it was determined that Houston had property belonging to the homeowner of the residence on Mendenhall Loop Road, Kalwara said. Houston reportedly pried a door open and took approximately $2,300 of property.
Houston was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, a Class B felony punishable by as much as 10 years in prison, as well as one count of second-degree theft (a Class B felony) and two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief for property damage.
He appeared in Juneau Superior Court and was appointed a public defender Wednesday. Judge Thomas Nave noted that a charge of violating his conditions of release had been added. Houston has three pending cases all set for trial March 28: a larceny charge with a failure to appear dating from Oct. 31, a larceny case from Nov. 16 for allegedly shoplifting $120 worth of tools and a trespassing case from Nov. 23.
Assistant District Attorney Amy Paige expressed concern about Houston’s “demonstrated history of non-compliance” with conditions of release and asked for $10,000 cash performance bail, as well as a no-contact order for the two victims. Judge Thomas Nave granted both those requests and also set $250 bail in the misdemeanor trespass case.
A preliminary hearing date was set for March 9.
• Contact reporter Liz Kellar at 523-2246 or liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.
