‘Brazen theft’: Police find cache of stolen items near Twin Lakes

Eric Torgerson usually keeps his boat on the street in the summer so he and his family can make a quick getaway to get out on the water.

On Wednesday, though, he found that his boat had been stolen.

“It was a pretty brazen theft for Juneau,” Torgerson said in an interview Thursday. “I’ve been here 40 years and I was pretty surprised.”

At about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, Torgerson reported his 22-foot Hewes Craft aluminum boat and EZ Loader trailer had been stolen, according to a Juneau Police Department press release. The boat and trailer had been parked on the street near his home in the 4200 block of Glacier Highway, and at the time of the theft the boat had a Yamaha outboard motor and Yamaha kicker on it.

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At 7:10 p.m. Wednesday, Torgerson found his boat in the 4700 block of Glacier Highway, according to the release. The blocks are just down the road from each other, near Twin Lakes. JPD Public Safety Manager Erann Kalwara said the stolen property was found at a multi-use property with residences and a business.

Torgerson called JPD again, and officers arrived on scene to find the boat was badly damaged and both motors were missing, the release states. Fishing gear, a GPS device and steering station equipment were also missing from the boat, police say.

Officers went searching for the missing parts, and found them at a nearby property, the release states. They quickly learned that this was not an isolated incident. They found other property that had been reported stolen in separate cases, including multiple boat motors, boat parts, tools and even guns, police say.

Torgerson said the damage to the boat isn’t too terrible, but he hasn’t yet figured out how much the stolen items are worth.

“It’s definitely a big financial hit,” Torgerson said, “but I haven’t wanted to total it up yet.”

There are no charges filed at this time, Kalwara said, as police are still searching for suspects. The investigation is ongoing, and people can report information about this case by calling JPD at 586-0600 or by going to JuneauCrimeLine.com.

• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.