November 27, 2017 at 4:04 p.m.
Eagle River man accused of breaking into vehicles, damaging property
Eagle River man accused of breaking into vehicles, damaging property
By Kayla Thomason-
Ian M. Meyers, 26, was charged Nov. 17 with operating a motor vehicle without owner's consent, a Class H felony; nine counts of theft, three counts of criminal damage to property, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating without a license - third or subsequent offense within three years.
According to the criminal complaint, detective sergeant John Chiamulera reported for his shift at 7:45 a.m. Nov. 14 and was advised by other officers that a vehicle had been stolen in the city limits and later crashed at the intersection of N. Brown Street and Harvey Street. He was also advised that the department had received several calls reporting items stolen from unlocked vehicles and the incidents appeared to be linked as the same shoe impression was found at each scene, the complaint states.
He began his investigation by talking to the alleged theft victims.
According to the complaint, a resident of Harvey Street reported someone broke into their vehicle and took loose change and a folding knife while a resident of Evergreen Court reported a stereo was missing out from their truck and the cords and dashboard were "ripped apart causing damage to (the) vehicle."
Shoe impressions were found at both scenes.
Chiamulera then went to the scene of the crash on Brown Street, where more shoe impressions were found, and followed them for several blocks to a residence.
According to the complaint, Chiamulera believed the person who made the shoe impressions was likely trying to gain entry into the residence.
He made contact with one of the residents and inquired if they had a visitor the previous night. The individual responded by asking if Chiamulera was referring to Ian M. Meyers.
According to the complaint, the resident told police Meyers "drinks a lot and whenever he is in town he comes to their house and bangs on the windows until they let him in."
Meyers was later located at his brother's residence.
"As I was walking towards him I observed a pair of shoes on the floor next to him and a snowmobile-type jacket lying next to the shoes," Chiamulera wrote in his report, adding that he examined the shoes' tread while helping Meyers put them on.
"I observed the same shoe impression that I had been looking at in snow for an hour trying to track him down," Chiamulera wrote in his report.
In searching Meyers for weapons, officers located a folding knife that was identified as belonging to one of the theft victims, due to the custom engraving on the blade, the complaint states.
According to the complaint "numerous victims were identified and numerous items were able to be returned to the rightful owner."
Items that have been returned include a casino players card, 36 gold presidential coins, the engraved folding knife, a debit card, a stereo, a quest card, a prescription bottle, a credit card, a necklace and an insurance card.
According to the complaint, items were taken from at least 14 vehicles and four different vehicles sustained damage.
If Meyers is convicted of operating a motor vehicle without owner's consent he may be fined no more than $10,000, imprisoned no more than nine months, or both.
An adjourned initial appearance in this case is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Dec. 11.
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