Alaska State Troopers and US Fish and Wildlife officers used drones and game trail cameras on New Year’s Day to locate the man alleged to have committed as many as five burglaries in Cooper Landing.
46-year-old Homer resident Troy Holzheimer was tracked by law enforcement for more than a day before being located on Jan. 1.
According to the Department of Public Safety report on the incident, shortly after 5:00 p.m. on Dec. 31, Troopers received a 911 call that a family returned to a seasonal cabin located in Cooper Landing and found a male sleeping inside. The man matched photos taken from a game trail camera from a previously reported burglary.
Troopers say there had been as many as five different recent burglaries reported in the area.
The report states, “Although a track[ing] in the snow was successful, the suspect had traveled a vast distance down Kenai Lake beach towards Crown Point,” adding, “The track was called off [on Dec. 31] due to a lack of resources and available light.”
With the dawn of the new year, law enforcement resumed their search by boat and helicopter. Holzheimer was eventually located southwest of Porcupine Island, approximately 8 miles from the burgled residence. The report says he surrendered without incident.
Holzheimer was charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft and is currently being held without bail at Spring Creek Correctional Center.