Burnt to the rims and with melted windows, a car belonging to a Wrangell retiree was discovered in another resident's yard early June 6. It had apparently been taken from a mechanic's garage the previous evening and driven to the site before catching fire. Whether the vehicle was burned intentionally or incidentally is being determined by law enforcement officials.
A suspect has been charged and arraigned following a destructive string of vehicle thefts around Wrangell last week.
Lief Cheyenne Bosdell, 20, was arraigned June 9 on seven counts of first-degree vehicle theft, each a Class C felony carrying up to five years in prison and a maximum $50,000 fine. Three charges of fifth-degree criminal mischief were also filed, Class B misdemeanors which together carry up to 30 days jail time and $6,000 in fines.
Before his appearance at Wrangell Courthouse, events kicked off that preceding weekend. The afternoon of June 4 a missing vehicle was reported to police by Levi Dow. The red Chevrolet pickup truck was later found the afternoon of June 6, abandoned in the vicinity of Pats Creek Road with its engine seized.
Joyriding was suspected as a motivating factor in that theft and those to follow. Chief Doug McCloskey noted most of the seven vehicles bore signs of excessive use and damage, being abandoned once they could go no further. In all cases the vehicles were thought to have been unlocked, with ignition keys left inside.
Following Dow's report, after midnight on the morning of June 8 Officer Rick Groshong went to investigate noises at the horse track near Volunteer Park. A white pickup truck was apparently "hot-rodding" around the track, McCloskey recounted, and allegedly driven by Bosdell. According to the responding officer, alcohol did not appear to be a factor and the driver of the vehicle had given "a plausible story at the time" for having the vehicle, said McCloskey.
Groshong was called away by a notification of death at around 12:31 a.m. Being the only officer on duty at the time due to staff shortages, the call took priority over the matter of the vehicle and Groshong left. Once that call was concluded, at 1:25 a.m. the officer contacted the truck's owner, Mike Lane, to follow up about the circumstances.
When it was determined permission had not been given to use the truck, Groshong returned to the track directly. Since his last exchange with the driver, the truck had been driven off the shoulder of the gravel road connecting Spur Road with the Volunteer Park parking lot. McCloskey was at that point called out at 1:57 a.m. to assist.
"The driver of that vehicle contacted a friend of his to help pull him out," the chief said.
One arrest was made, though not of Bosdell. Instead a sports utility vehicle had been driven to the scene by Leann Russell, 22. Apparently intoxicated, she was arrested at 2:15 a.m. for driving under the influence. While his department was still assessing the situation, McCloskey said Bosdell was meanwhile given a ride back to his residence at 2:24 a.m.
About an hour later, another arrest was made at the horse track. This time it was Logan Padgett, 18, who returned to the scene at about 3:30 a.m. driving the same SUV Russell had. An officer was still on the scene and charged Padgett for driving under the influence.
Padgett was one of two men pleading guilty to the illegal entry and robbery of Alpine Mini Mart on May 23, for which he had received community service hours and a suspended 10-day sentence.
Police at this time do not have reason to suspect Padgett and Russell of complicity in the vehicle's theft, and the DUI allegations are incidental.
"We don't believe that they actually knew that the truck was stolen," McCloskey said.
Still that same morning, at 5:18 a.m. WPD received a call from fisherman Mark Mitchell, who found the charred frame of a four-door sedan in the yard outside his home near the Silver Bay Logging Company at Six Mile, Zimovia Highway. The vehicle had been thoroughly burned at some point during the evening, but using a combination of VIN and license plate details police were able to identify the car. The sedan was found to have belonged to Angelika Hall, a retired resident.
WPD believes this vehicle had been taken by Bosdell before Lane's truck had been, sometime in the evening of June 5. McCloskey reported the vehicle had been at Stikine Auto Works when it was stolen, and its disappearance was news both to the owner and the garage.
Describing the scene, McCloskey noted that deep treads had been left in the earth by the car's tires, suggesting the sedan had negotiated a turn at some speed before it came to a stop in Mitchell's yard. It is suspected the car was then set alight intentionally. Just north along the beach from the Mitchell residence by about a quarter mile, police believe its suspect had then proceeded to the Lane residence, which is visible from the car site. It was from there the white pickup had been taken.
Later that afternoon, Dow's vehicle was discovered on the Pats Creek road system in an inoperable state. From what police can tell, the vehicles had all been taken with the intention of taking them for rough rides. "Basically running them to death," McCloskey commented.
Police suspected the three incidents were all related, and Bosdell was questioned but not charged at that point. A fourth vehicle believed connected to the spree was taken from Don McConachie either the night of June 3 or morning of June 4.
McCloskey explained the department needed "sufficient probable cause" before filing charges, such as determining whether the car fire had been set intentionally or was incidental. A further interview with Bosdell was set for the morning of June 8, with a policeman from Craig to be brought in to assist. The suspect is deaf and requires help from an interpreter, and the Craig officer is familiar with sign language.
The evening prior to this scheduled interview, police allege Bosdell went on another spree of vehicle thefts. Shortly after midnight the morning of June 8, Dan Doak reported his pickup truck was missing from outside his residence. At 1:23 a.m. report of an abandoned, illegally parked vehicle was received, another pickup truck belonging to Dusty Cowan. McCloskey explained it was left outside the Stikine Inn, apparently because it could no longer run.
A third vehicle, a flatbed pickup truck taken from 2nd Avenue, was reported taken and pursued by police. The vehicle ended up being left in front of Wrangell Truck & Auto on Peninsula Street.
By 7 a.m. Doak's vehicle was reportedly found, high-centered atop some log seating at the far side of the horse track. The truck had apparently been driven up the hill across from Evergreen Elementary School in an attempt to jump the log arrangement, after doing circles in the parking lot below. The attempt failed, and McCloskey reported the vehicle had suffered "significant" damage.
Bosdell, who had only been in town visiting his parents since the weekend, appeared at the police station as scheduled at 11 a.m. During his court hearing on June 9, the prosecution asserted that the accused had confessed to a number of details during this interview. Bosdell was formally charged immediately afterward at 11:12 a.m.
Accompanied by three law enforcement officers and his father, Bosdell appeared before Deputy Magistrate Leanna Nash for his arraignment. His hearing impairment presented the court with some new logistical challenges. Lacking the means for a sign linguist to be on hand during the proceedings, the accused communicated in writing using a Kindle device, which was then communicated to the courtroom via phone by an interpreter.
Charges were presented, and following a query on Bosdell's financial standing a public defender was assigned to his case. Judge Kevin Miller has been assigned to the case, with a preliminary hearing to be set for 3:15 p.m. this afternoon.
At the recommendation of the attorney general's office, bail was set at a performance bond of $10,000, with an additional custodial requirement. In the event of release, Bosdell was instructed not to have any contact with 10 alleged victims, nor to leave Wrangell at any point until the case is resolved.
Nash explained the court was taking the matter very seriously: "These alleged crimes are very serious, especially here in Wrangell," she told Bosdell. "This is a community that prides itself on trust in its neighbors."
Unable to meet bail, the accused remains in police custody. In addition to the local charges, Bosdell is already awaiting criminal proceedings in Anchorage for four misdemeanor counts stemming from two different offenses. In one, allegedly transpiring on March 31, Bosdell is accused of tampering and damaging property, and faces one reckless injury charge. The other, on April 4, is another charge of property damage.
Bosdell has previously been convicted of one offense in Wrangell, for driving without a license back in August 2015. He had also been cited for possession of tobacco by a minor in July of that year.
At the next hearing, Nash said Wrangell's courtroom will be equipped with the necessary accommodations for Bosdell. This will include a proper computer and an interpreter streamed in for proceedings. "The equipment we needed was all in Juneau," she said.
Bosdell did not have much to say for himself during last week's arraignment. Through his teleconferenced interpreter, he explained he has anxiety and post-traumatic stress issues he is currently seeking treatment for.
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