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Authorities closed trails and facilities near Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau for several hours Sunday morning to investigate an early morning break-in at the glacier’s visitor center, where a man apparently broke a window and removed items from a bookstore.
At about 4:30 a.m., security camera footage captured the break-in at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. Police responded after an alarm went off, said Lt. David Campbell of the Juneau Police Department.
It appeared the man entered a bookstore near the front of the center and took a number of items, Paul Robbins, public information officer for Tongass National Forest, said early Sunday afternoon. A large window was also broken, Robbins said.
The bookstore sells books, clothing, souvenirs and some jewelry, Robbins said. He said it wasn’t yet known if anything was taken from elsewhere in the visitor center.
Juneau’s district ranger decided to close off the visitor center and surrounding trails while police investigated, Robbins said. Tourists and locals who tried to visit found the road to the glacier blocked off.
Police were searching for the burglary suspect early Sunday afternoon. Campbell said police “have an idea” of who the suspect is, but weren’t yet releasing a name.
The suspect is not believed to be a danger to the public, the Forest Service said in a statement.
The visitor center and nearby trails were back open by 1 p.m. Sunday, with the exception of trails in the Dredge Lakes area, which were still closed because of an investigation into a bear attack last week.
[Man reportedly walks away unscathed after black bear attack along Juneau trail]
On a holiday weekend, the closure disrupted operations for the popular area. At this time of year, thousands of people typically come through the visitor center every morning, Robbins said.
"Hopefully (people) made the adjustment and made it this afternoon," Robbins said.