Alaska State Troopers arrested a Homer man on Wednesday who they say broke into and stole from four homes in a Cooper Landing neighborhood last month. Forty-six-year-old Troy Holzheimer faces 14 charges in the case, which was filed in Seward, including theft, burglary and criminal mischief.
Holzheimer’s arrest came a day after troopers issued a public call for information about the string of burglaries. Trooper spokesperson Austin McDaniel said Thursday troopers tracked Holzheimer to a ridgeline near Porcupine Island in Kenai Lake by following his footprints away from the home he was found at on New Year’s Eve.
“Troopers, as they were tracking along a known foot path they were following, were aided with a small drone that was searching the area to make sure they weren't walking into an ambush as they worked to locate that offender,” McDaniel said.
Charging documents say troopers received reports of burglaries from four different property owners in the Quartz Creek area of Cooper Landing. Residents reported stolen items ranging from food and sleeping gear, to weed and a bong, to DVDs.
The most recent call to troopers came from a property owner on New Year’s Eve, who said an unknown person was inside their cabin, had broken things and was wearing their clothes.
On foot, with a drone and by boat and helicopter, troopers found and arrested Holzheimer on New Year’s Day, roughly eight miles away from where the burglaries took place.
McDaniel says the level of trooper response was “absolutely” typical.
“This is an individual who fled from law enforcement, someone that was attempting to evade us, someone that we believed committed a crime, someone that had been burglarizing what we believe multiple properties in the Cooper Landing area,” he said. “And we're going to bring all available resources to bear as we go through and work cases like this or any case.”
They took Holzheimer to the agency’s Seward office. They say Holzheimer said he’d been homeless for a long time and walked to Cooper Landing from Sterling.
Holzheimer told troopers he tried staying in a tent he found near the Quartz Creek Campground. Charging documents say he then took sleeping gear from an unoccupied cabin before sleeping inside of it. Troopers say Holzheimer also admitted to taking food from and breaking into other properties before being caught on New Year’s Eve.
Holzheimer’s arrest comes as Seward lobbies Alaska’s Department of Public Safety for a more robust trooper presence. The unincorporated community is home to about 300 year-round residents. McDaniel says troopers are looking for professional office space in the area after an unsuccessful bid last year.
Charging documents say Holzheimer wrote a letter of apology to the property owners. Troopers say they expect to bring further charges in the case as more residents learn about the alleged burglaries.
Holzheimer was arraigned Thursday in Seward and is being held without bail at Spring Creek Correctional Center. He’s scheduled to appear in court next week.