WASILLA, Alaska — A Palmer grand jury has indicted Diana Palin on burglary, theft and trespass charges related to three break-ins at a Wasilla home.
Palin, 35, is the half-sister of Todd Palin, Gov. Sarah Palin's husband.
Jailed at Mat-Su Pretrial Facility since Wasilla police arrested her April 2, Palin pleaded not guilty during a brief appearance in Palmer Superior Court this morning.
Police say she broke into a home on West Mill Site Circle owned by Theodore Turcott to steal cash. Turcott told investigators he'd lost nearly $2,600 in two prior burglaries, so when he saw an unfamiliar car pull into his driveway, he waited in a bathroom for Palin and confronted her after she headed straight for a cabinet where he kept his money, according to a police affidavit filed by Officer Jentry Crain.
Palin's 4-year-old daughter came into the home as her mother was being detained by Turcott, who was armed, police and prosecutors say.
On April 2, police arrested Palin for that day's break-in and also for a burglary March 31 in which nearly $400 was taken from Turcott's home.
The grand jury on Friday indicted Palin for those break-ins, and also for one March 26 in which $2,200 was stolen, according to court documents.
Turcott's home, near Wasilla's Multi-Use Sports Complex, is about eight miles from the house Palin shares with her husband and two young children near Mat-Su College. Police haven't disclosed any reason she picked Turcott's address.