Police say they’ve made two arrests this week for four burglaries across town involving an eclectic range of stolen goods — from bear hides and a single pillow case, to candy bars and a trash can.
The Juneau Police Department arrested Thomas Schauwecker, 45, Wednesday night after they put together he may have been behind three residential burglaries in Juneau that same day. Police found him walking out of a car stuck in a ditch in the 12000 block of Glacier Highway, according to a JPD press release. JPD spokesperson Erann Kalwara said officers were in the area responding to a call from a resident who told police at 4:43 p.m. Wednesday he saw people he didn’t know inside his house using a webcam while he was away.
Kalwara said police were able to use the description from the webcam to identify Schauwecker as a suspect in the burglary, but when they tried to speak to him at the site of the car crash, he began walking away from the scene.
“Officers approached the vehicle because of the extensive damage,” Kalwara said in a phone interview Thursday. “They called out to him and asked him to stop and he continued walking. They walked with him.”
Schauwecker didn’t try fleeing from police as they walked with him, Kalwara said, and police arrested him without incident.
The only item missing from the home outside where Schauwecker was arrested was a single pillow case, Kalwara said. Because the case is still open and the investigation is ongoing, Kalwara said she would not describe anything significant about the pillow case.
Police said a second man, Kelly Crowder Jr., 29, is a person of interest in the burglary based on images seen on the resident’s webcam. Crowder has an outstanding Alaska State Trooper warrant for failure to comply with probation on original charges of felony theft and misconduct involving controlled substances.
According to a JPD press release issued Thursday, police said Schauwecker and Crowder are suspects in two other residential burglaries. One of the burglaries occurred just 30 minutes before Schauwecker’s arrest in the 10000 block Glacier Highway. A woman told police she walked into her kitchen and saw an intruder who immediately fled. Police arrived nine minutes later and found the woman unharmed. Nothing was reported missing from her home.
Sometime before 4 p.m., a third Juneau resident said his home was burglarized in the 17000 block of Andreanoff Road, near Lena Beach. Kalwara said the intruder broke the door to that home and stole seven items — bear, marten, raccoon and otter hides.
Schauwecker appeared in Juneau District Court Thursday to be arraigned on five felony charges: three counts of burglary, one theft charge and one criminal mischief charge.
Police are asking anyone with information about Crowder, the other suspect in these burglaries to contact them at 523-2272.
Glacier Gardens burglary
Police also arrested a 25-year-old Juneau man Thursday for burglarizing Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventure botanical gardens last month, stealing a few candy bars and a trash can on his way out.
Christopher Whitehead walked around the business sometime during the night of July 24, breaking the entrance to various area on the property and moving tools around to various locations, according to a JPD press release.
“Police are working pretty hard” to solve the recent string of burglaries in Juneau, JPD spokesperson Kalwara said. She said the department wanted to share their recent “win” with the community to let them know the department is getting results.
Whitehead allegedly also stole tiny jars of tiny gold flakes and other coins from Glacier Gardens, 7600 Glacier Highway, along with the candy bars and the trash can. All together, the business reported losing $200 in merchandise, according to JPD’s press release.
Whitehead was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center on Thursday and police are recommending second-degree burglary and third-degree theft charges.
Whitehead appeared in Juneau District Court for an arraignment Thursday on two charges for felony burglary and misdemeanor theft.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
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