Small spate of intrusions at home and churches

There was a spate of mischief afoot this month with a pair of break-ins and some possible mischief being considered related events.

Pastor Nettie Covalt at First Presbyterian Church reported an intrusion at the house of worship on May 22. Home to a summertime hostel for travelers, the church is generally left accessible, she explained. So she was surprised to find the premises in a state of disarray. Door jambs to the church office had been broken through, while a television and other items were staged near the doorway as though the intruding party was planning to return.

“Mostly they left a great big mess,” Covalt reported.

The intrusion was not the first, with the disappearance of a microwave and vacuum cleaner noticed from the previous week.

Chief Doug McCloskey of the Wrangell Police Department said officers were also called out to a residence at 12-Mile Zimovia that evening, receiving a tip about a break-in. The homeowner had been away, but “we’ve got some idea what’s missing,” he said. Most of the missing items have already been recovered from off-site.

Pastor Doug Schultz at Bible Baptist Church also reported problems, though inside the church there was no evidence of anything missing. On the property, a shed had apparently been tampered with.

“We were missing a lock,” said Schultz, it having been pried away. Nothing of interest had been kept in the shed however, and so nothing was noticed missing there either.

McCloskey said the incidents at the private residence and Presbyterian church would be considered burglaries by definition, while that at the Baptist church would be more in line with mischief. The department has a suspect or suspects in mind, and is preparing indictments.

Covalt reported her church’s hostel opened up for the season as scheduled on Monday.

“We’re going to try to just keep it going as usual,” she said. “We’re just going to hope for the best at this time.”