Update | 2:54 pm
Bail was set at $20,000 cash for a Juneau man alleged to have committed a pair of burglaries.
Berton Atlas Tullis, 33, appeared in Juneau District Court on Wednesday after his arrest Tuesday evening. Tullis is being charged with two counts of felony burglary and one count of felony theft in connection with the alleged break-ins at Capital Brew and Rejuvenation Salon and Spa earlier this month.
Assistant District Attorney Angie Kemp says Tullis is also a suspect in nine other burglaries of businesses and homes over the last two months. Kemp says they’re waiting for DNA analysis of evidence before pressing additional charges.
In asking for the high bail amount, Kemp noted Tullis’ 13 prior convictions and at least one instance of failing to appear in court.
Tullis’ next appearance in court is March 9 unless a grand jury returns with an indictment in the case.
Additional bail was set at $500 cash for another unresolved case involving a misdemeanor larceny charge filed against Tullis in October 2014.
As many as 18 businesses and residences have reported burglaries or attempted break-ins over the last two months.
“We kind of received a little wave, a little spike in burglaries over the last several weeks,” says Lt. David Campbell of the Juneau Police Department.
Campbell says they received 20 different tips following the release of a picture of a person of interest during the Capital Brew burglary.
Among the latest round of incidents, a Heritage Coffee stand in Lemon Creek was burglarized over the weekend, someone failed to enter the NAPA and Blockbuster businesses on Mall Road, and a safe with an undisclosed amount of cash was taken from Rejuvenation Salon and Spa on Sunday.
Cameron Plumbing and Heating and Mystik Treasures were burglarized last week, and someone attempted to enter Paradise Café in the valley.
Burglars broke into Seong’s Sushi, Coppa, Capital Brew, and V’s Cellar Door earlier this month.
Original story | 9:36 am
A Juneau man was arrested on Tuesday in connection with two of the recent 18 burglaries in the Capital City.
Berton A. Tullis, 33, is being charged with two counts of felony burglary in the second degree for breaking into Capital Brew earlier this month and Rejuvenations Salon and Spa last Sunday.
Juneau Police Lt. David Campbell says the number of burglaries are happening at a faster rate this year than previous years.
As a comparison, the number of residential and commercial burglaries recently peaked at 182 back in 2010. Since then, Juneau has averaged 102 burglaries a year. If the recent rate of burglaries continues, then the previous average could be surpassed for 2015.
Campbell says burglaries generally occur in clusters.
“You typically have an individual person or a group that’s going out and trying to burglarize places until they find something of value,” Campbell says. “It’s not usual for a small number of a people or one person to create a lot of crime victims in a very short period of time.”
According to a police department statement, Tullis was arrested about 8 p.m. Tuesday and was later lodged at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
Police did not indicate whether Tullis was the person captured on surveillance camera footage at Capital Brew.
Police say they are still investigating whether Tullis was involved in any of the other 16 residential and commercial burglaries that have been reported in the last two months.