Juneau Police investigating downtown burglaries

Coppa's and Seong's Sushi Bar and Chinese Take-out at Glacier Ave. and W. 9th Street was burglarized sometime during the President's Day weekend. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
Coppa and Seong’s Sushi Bar and Chinese Take-out at Glacier Ave. and W. 9th Street were burglarized sometime during the President’s Day weekend. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)

Juneau Police say they’re still investigating four burglaries of downtown businesses over the long weekend.

Marc Wheeler, owner of Coppa across from the downtown federal building, says someone entered the building and took cash from their till and an iPad tablet computer that was being used as a point-of-sale register.

“It’s just really disappointing,” Wheeler says. “But we’re really grateful for all the support the community has shown us. Hopefully, the police can get to the bottom of it. If anybody knows anything about what happened, I would just encourage them to call the JPD.”

According to police reports, there was no forced entry next door at Seong’s Sushi Bar and Chinese Take-out where cash and a computer were taken. There was a broken window at nearby Capital Brew where spare change and two energy drinks were reported taken. Owners of those businesses did not return calls seeking comment and more details.

Over on Seward Street, it was the back door of V’s Cellar Door that was damaged during a break-in late Sunday night after closing. Restaurant owner Venietia Santana says it looks like burglars bypassed the locks by cutting into the door frame, possibly with a sawzall.

“It looked like just a quick grab, get out,” Santana says. “They wanted money and some electronics, it seems like.

She says thieves pried open their register, took cash from the till, swiped an iPod Nano that was used for restaurant music, and they left the office in a mess while searching for other valuables.

Santana says she discovered the burglary when she arrived to some work during the Monday holiday.

I was completely shocked. I was like someone punched me in the chest.”

Santana says she immediately called police and retreated from the restaurant in case the burglars were still there.

“And then (police) came down and found some clues, some really good clues,” Santana says.

Santana is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the burglars, but she is not specifying a monetary amount.

“It’s a small town,” Santana says. “So, I do know that someone out there who knows who did it and what happened. Hopefully, they’ll come forward and discuss with either the police, me, or the other owners and either confess or say they know who did it.”

Lt. David Campbell of the Juneau Police Department says it’s possible at least two of the burglaries on The Flats near the federal building are related.

“Neither of one those businesses had any kind of forced entry associated with them,” Campbell says. “We got notified by the management that there was some sort of issue with maybe some missing keys.”

Campbell says usually burglary is a crime of opportunity.

“What is typically stolen in burglaries are things that are very easily disposed of, like alcohol, cash, prescription medication, food, things along those lines.”

Campbell says Juneau is not really good place to steal expensive electronics like DVD players, jewelry, and other high-value goods since the lack of road access precludes fencing many of those items.

But, like elsewhere, there are predictable patterns of Juneau residences burglarised during the day and businesses getting hit at night. There may also be occasional pockets of burglaries, like in Douglas recently.

“Is it unusual to get four burglary reports in one day? Yeah, that’s a little unusual,” Campbell says. “How many burglaries have we had, let’s say, in 2015 would be a bigger indication as to whether we have more of a trend happening.”

The burglaries were not the only unusual crimes reported by witnesses and victims over the weekend.

Police also arrested an 18 year old man for entering Alaska Liquor Cache wearing a ski mask, not identifying himself, and refusing to leave the store. Campbell says the clerk locked the door after the man took a pack of cigarettes. The man tried to run out the back door, and then the front door was unlocked just as police arrived.

Witnesses in the nearby Triangle Bar reported as many as three officers confronting the man and directing him to put down a knife before tackling and handcuffing him. Campbell, though, says officer reports do not indicate any display of a knife. A taser was aimed by an officer at the man, but it was not discharged.

Devin Anthony Rivera was charged with minor on licensed premises and resisting arrest, and lodged at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

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