Crime & Justice

Teens arrested in vandalism, burglary that shuts down Togiak clinic

DILLINGHAM -- The Togiak Health Clinic was vandalized during an apparent burglary late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, and two young men have been arrested and identified as suspects in the case. The only health facility for the village of 900 residents remained closed Wednesday morning due to damage to the building's electrical and communication systems.

Brett K. Pauk, 18, was arrested Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday on three charges: felony criminal mischief, felony burglary, and misdemeanor theft. The magistrate judge ordered him held on $2,000 bail.

Pauk's alleged co-conspirator is a 17-year-old from Togiak. As a minor, he was unnamed in court documents, but troopers said charges will be referred to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

At least $100 cash and a pair of headphones valued at $160 were stolen from the clinic and later recovered. An attempt was apparently made to gain access to the pharmacy, but the investigation had not revealed more than a few over-the-counter drugs missing as of Wednesday.

A trooper investigating in Togiak on Wednesday told KDLG News that the two suspects had ripped electrical wires out of the wall in an apparent attempt to knock out the clinic's surveillance, "annihilating" the clinic's communication and electrical systems. That damage has severed medical communication between the remote clinic and the Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham.

A hospital spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the clinic may remain closed for several days as crews scramble to make repairs. The hospital was hustling to re-establish basic emergency services in the village early Wednesday.

At Pauk's arraignment, assistant district attorney Beth Oates said the vandalism had shown "blatant disregard for the trouble and impacts it will have on the community."

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The two men also allegedly discharged a fire extinguisher at the scene; their shoe prints, both in the extinguisher foam and the snow outside the clinic, led the investigating village public safety officer directly to their home, where stolen items were found and shoes were confirmed to match the prints, according to the investigating trooper.

This article originally appeared on KDLG Public Radio, based in Dillingham.

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