ANCHORAGE - Police say they are actively investigating a second armed robbery on Anchorage’s south side.

Investigators say the second robbery in less than two weeks happened on the 12000 block of Brandon Street early Monday morning. Police say there were multiple suspects involved, but no one inside the home was physically harmed.

According to Sgt. Mike Couturier, the robberies are not random.

“These criminals knew what they were doing before they went to the addresses. We believe they possibly knew the people living there,” he said.

Police say the March 8 incident in South Anchorage — on Tulin Park Loop off Lake Otis Parkway — was drug-related.

They are investigating to see if the two robberies are connected.

“I wouldn’t want the general public, law-abiding citizens, to think that there’s a high probability that this would happen in their home,” Couturier said. “There seems to be a purpose to these invasions.”

Anyone with any information on either crime is asked to call the Anchorage Police Department.

WASILLA, Alaska (AP) – A 38-year-old man has been charged with firing a gun at a home in Big Lake, an unincorporated community north of Wasilla.

Alaska State Troopers say Paul Meixner of Big Lake was arrested late Saturday night.

Troopers at 11:30 p.m. took a call that multiple rounds had been fired at the home. Meixner was found in the area a short time later.

Trooper investigators say Meixner apparently fired the shots and fled in a sport utility vehicle.

He’s charged with felony weapons misconduct and felony assault.

He’s being held at Mat-Su Pretrial Facility with bail set at $15,000 cash.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ANCHORAGE – State prosecutors say a 42-year-old Wasilla man faces at least 30 years in prison for the sexual abuse of his young daughter.

The man – whose name was withheld by prosecutors to protect his victim’s identity – was convicted Monday of one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. The abuse was discovered after a parent of one of the girl’s friends reported the allegations to Alaska State Troopers in Palmer, prosecutors said. Investigation by the Anchorage Police Department Crimes Against Children Unit revealed the man had abused his daughter from 2008 — when she was in third grade – to 2011.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby is scheduled to sentence the man in August 2014, prosecutors said.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – A man convicted of setting fires to cabins in the Steese Highway community of Central has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://bit.ly/1qPXUjx) reports 31-year-old Nathan Dewey burned down his own cabin in 2011 and two summer cabins owned by a neighbor.

Dewey has been jailed since 2011. After court disputes over whether Dewey was mentally competent, Dewey in October pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree arson.

Superior Court Judge Paul Lyle said at sentencing Monday he was concerned about Dewey’s escalating anti-social behavior. His criminal record includes felony assault and vehicle theft and Lyle says Dewey has not shown remorse.

Lyle says Dewey isn’t being imprisoned because he is mentally ill but because he will not do anything to get treatment.

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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ANCHORAGE – Alaska State Troopers are searching for two men who escaped from a Fairbanks detention center Monday.

According to trooper dispatch, 25-year-old Fairbanks resident Willy-Joe Batchelder and 38-year-old North Pole resident Shawn Murphy both walked away from the Northstar Center, a residential detention center. Batchelder faces a charge of second-degree escape and Murphy faces a charge of fourth-degree escape.

Troopers said anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call 907-451-5100.

PALMER - It wasn’t the welcome Kimberly Barfield and Matt Millette expected Monday.

They found their Palmer home invaded and ransacked by thieves.

“You can see at the hinges where he snapped it,” Millette said, showing where the thief broke a bedroom door.

Millette, a soldier with the Army National Guard, says the culprit went through every room in the house, snatching up family treasures and memories, like the couple’s engagement rings.

“It was inside here, under the socks, and he took it,” Millette said.

Electronics are also missing, along with a child’s rare baseball collection.

Barfield and Millette say the thief stole their family’s trust.

But more frightening is what it stole from the master bedroom — three guns and an entire drawer of ammunition.

“One of those guns is a handgun and its loaded,” Millette said. “So what happened was the person who is now a burglar left as someone who is armed and dangerous.”

The family is now fighting back — spreading word through the Mat-Su Valley about thieves on the prowl.

“This afternoon I plan on taking flyers to all the neighbors so that they know,” Millette said.

Historically, the Mat-Su Valley has the most break-ins the state.

Troopers recently added a Criminal Suppression Unit just for cases like this one.

ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man faces up to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl during an alcohol-fueled New Year’s Eve party, prosecutors said.

Char Haire, 21, was convicted Wednesday of six counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. According to a statement from the Department of Law, Haire abused the girl after she became intoxicated with friends at a gathering in Downtown Anchorage, even though she told him she was only 14.

Prosecutors said the victim reported passing out, and didn’t remember many details until she returned home the next day and realized she suffered genital injuries. When she told her parents about the incident and they reported it to the Anchorage Police Department, prosecutors said a forensic interview and DNA evidence confirmed the crime.

An Anchorage jury returned its guilty verdict after hearing closing arguments Tuesday, and prosecutors said Haire will have to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from prison. His sentencing is scheduled for August.

ANCHORAGE – A four-year investigation has led to a murder indictment in the case of a Wasilla resident who disappeared in 2010.

State attorneys say 34-year-old Simon Smith faces one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder for the death of Nichole Millsaps, whose body was discovered by a hiker near Indian in February. Smith’s arraignement is set for Friday in Anchorage Superior Court, according to a written statement from the Alaska Department of Law, and he could face a $500,000 fine and 20-99 years in prison if convicted of Millsaps’ murder.

Alaska State Troopers continue to investigate the case, district attorneys said.

WASILLA - For four years Andrea Borsetti clung to hope that her sister Nichole Millsaps’ missing persons case would be solved.

Last month, her remains were discovered along a hiking trail in Indian.

Her death is still a mystery, but investigators believe Simon Douglas Smith, her ex-boyfriend, is responsible.

A grand jury indicted Smith, 34, for the 2010 murder on Wednesday.

Borsetti says the news comes with mixed emotions.

“In one aspect I’m really happy and relieved that my sister truly will be able to rest in peace and have some justice,” she said. “At the other end, it doesn’t make anything better because I’m still angry and sad and I want her back.”

Since Millsaps’ disappearance, Smith has been in jail for drugs and weapons charges, court documents say.

According to Deputy District Attorney Clint Campion, the indictment is a result of a four-year investigation by Alaska State Troopers, which is still ongoing.

That investigation picked up momentum last month when Millsaps’ body was discovered. Court documents reveal investigators have 400 hours of recorded conversations between him and an informant.

Smith is charged with first- and second-degree murder.

Prosecutors say they are actively building a case against Smith. The trial is expected to begin sometime next year.

If convicted, Smith faces 20 to 99 years in prison plus a maximum fine of $500,000.

Courtesy: FBI

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The FBI says it’s highly unlikely confessed Alaska serial killer Israel Keyes was connected to the unsolved disappearance of a man in Washington state.

A special episode of Investigation Discovery’s “Dark Minds” TV series airing April 2 says Gilbert Gilman was a potential victim of Keyes, who had been in the region. Gilman disappeared from Olympic National Park in 2006.

Keyes was believed to have killed at least 11 people around the country before committing suicide in his Anchorage jail cell 15 months ago. He was awaiting a federal trial in the 2012 strangulation murder of his last known victim, 18-year-old Samantha Koenig of Anchorage.

Anchorage-based FBI Special Agent Kevin Donovan says Keyes likely was not involved in Gilman’s disappearance, based on evidence and reviews of unsolved homicides and missing persons cases.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A cold case murder trial has started in Juneau involving the shooting of a Washington State woman by her boyfriend at Yakutat’s Glacier Bear Lodge in 1996.

The Juneau Empire (http://bit.ly/1giXnn6) reports the case involving the shooting death of Sandra Perry by Robert Kowalski was re-opened in 2009 after Kowalski was convicted of homicide for killing a different girlfriend in Montana in 2008.

The incident involving Perry took place in their bedroom at the lodge on July 21, 1996. It was then ruled accidental. He’s facing first- and second-degree murder charges.

Kowalski says he heard a bear at the bedroom window and grabbed his Mossberg 12-gauge. He tripped over a chord on his way to the window, causing the gun to go off and killing Perry.

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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ANCHORAGE – A man is facing felony charges following a Friday morning seizure of about 130 grams of methamphetamine and nearly 50 grams of heroin, authorities said.

Robert Hoffman, 48, was arrested following the drug investigation at a residence on the 6000 block of Askeland Drive, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro in a statement. The combined street value of the methamphetamine and heroin is around $30,000.

The seizure was made by the Anchorage Police Department Special Assignment Unit, along with the help of APD’s Community Action Policing team, Adult Probations and the K9 Unit, Castro said.

Police used a confidential informant who arranged to buy an ounce of methamphetamine from Hoffman for $2,400, according to charging documents. The informant successfully bought an ounce of what field-tested positive as methamphetamine.

Police also found another 100 grams of methamphetamine, 48 grams of heroin, digital scales, drug ledgers, a surveillance camera and a revolver after searching the Askeland Drive residence, charging documents said.

Hoffman was charged with one count of second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance (MICS), two counts of third-degree MICS, one count of fourth-degree MICS and third-degree misconduct involving weapons.

A woman at the residence during the seizure was initially charged with hindering prosecution, Castro said, but the charge was dropped Friday afternoon.

ANCHORAGE - A man was sentenced Friday for trying to kill his wife in front of their children.

A judge sentenced 54-year-old Frank Manivong to 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault with a weapon.

Frank Manivong was charged with attempted murder and assault after shooting his wife Vilaykhone Manivong at their Mountain View apartment last March.

Police responded to a shooting around 5:15 a.m. on March 4, 2013, and found Vilaykhone Manivong lying in a bedroom, charging documents say. She had gunshot wounds on her right forearm, chest and near her neck.

James Soukkaseum, a neighbor interviewed by detectives, said Frank Manivong called him saying he wanted Soukkaseum to come over and watch his children because he would be going to jail after shooting his wife, charging documents say.

Soukkaseum tried to pry the rifle from Frank Manivong’s hands, but at least one shot was fired. Soukkaseum was then able to wrestle the rifle away from Frank Manivong, unload it and call 911. Vilaykhone Manivong was transported to a local hospital and survived the attack.

Frank Manivong said he hadn’t gotten along with his wife for years because she was disrespectful, court documents say. When he came home in the morning, he said she started yelling at him for being out all night.

She wouldn’t stop yelling and felt he had no choice but to shoot her, he said.

Their two young children told investigators they were woken up by their parents’ arguing and both said they saw their father shoot their mother.

ANCHORAGE – The man police say had $30,000 worth of drugs stashed in a South Anchorage home is now facing six felony charges.

Robert Hoffman was arraigned Saturday in Anchorage court.

He is charged with making meth, possession with intent to distribute both heroin and meth and other felony charges.

Anchorage police arrested 48-year-old Hoffman Friday at a house in the 6000 block of Askeland Drive.

A search of that home led APD officers to 130 grams of meth and almost 50 grams of heroin and other drug paraphernalia — valued around $30,000.

Police say Hoffman admitted to selling the methamphetamine.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska  - A 21-year-old Fairbanks man has pleaded guilty in connection with the 2011 death of an acquaintance after an argument.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says the trial of Cornelius Everett Jr. was interrupted Monday when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 55-year-old Johnson Griffin.

Everett faces an 11-year prison term. He is set to be sentenced in April.

Everett pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter and accepted a 15-year prison term. He later changed his mind.

In June 2011, Griffin was found dead in his Northward Building apartment.

Everett was later identified as a suspect after a medical examiner determined Griffin died of blunt force trauma to his chest.

Authorities have said Griffin likely was assaulted days before he succumbed to his wounds and died.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

JUNEAU, Alaska- The defense attorney for a man charged in the 1996 shooting death of his girlfriend has told jurors Alaska State Troopers destroyed evidence in the case.

The Juneau Empire reports Assistant Public Defender Eric Hedland made the announcement during the trial of 53 year-old Robert Kowalski.

Kowalski is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the shooting death of Sandra Perry.

Hedland asked the judge to exclude any testimony and evidence about the destroyed items, saying Kowalski does not have the ability to confront that evidence.

Prosecutor James Fayette accused Hedland of “gamesmanship and tactics.” He confirmed that troopers destroyed much of the evidence in 1998 for purposes of case management, storage and archiving, but said some transcripts still exist.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ANCHORAGE – Three people are in custody following a spree of vehicle vandalism throughout Anchorage.

Police arrested Elijah Dutton, 19, and Evan Young, 20, and charged them with 25 counts of third-degree criminal mischief. Dutton was also charged with one count of reckless driving, according to court documents. The third suspect is a juvenile, police said.

According to charging documents, the trio used an aluminum bat to hit more than 50 cars. Damage ranged from broken side-view mirrors to shattered windshields.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, multiple calls were made to police dispatch describing what sounded like glass breaking. People reported their vehicle windows had been broken at homes in the Meadow Street area off Brayton Drive, police said. When authorities arrived to the area, they discovered dozens of vehicles with smashed windows.

Jeremiah Henry said he heard the suspects around 1 a.m. on Medfra Street in Fairview.

“I heard the sound of glass breaking,” Henry said.

When he went outside, he says he saw a young man swinging what looked to be a baseball bat.

“I got a good look of the vehicle and called police,” Henry said.

Police were able to track down the vehicle in Midtown and took the three suspects into custody. Dutton and Young face up to five years in prison or a $50,000 fine.

Police continue to receive vandalism reports and know of at least five areas in town affected. They believe there could be another vehicle of suspects involved.

“There is the potential that there could be other suspects involved or another vehicle involved just because of how many vehicles were hit in such a short amount of time and such a variety of locations,” said police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro. “So that’s something that police are looking at and considering as well.

Police are asking anyone with information to call dispatch at 786-8900. People can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP or by going online.

-Bonney Bowman, Dave Detling and Hope Miller contributed reporting to this story.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A 34-year-old Fairbanks teacher has been charged with sexually abusing a male student.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports high school correspondence teacher Claude Fowlkes III was arraigned Tuesday on seven counts of felony sexual abuse of a minor.

Alaska State Troopers say Fowlkes has denied the allegations.

A criminal complaint says a male student last week reported that Fowlkes had sexually abused him five times starting in January. The student claimed Fowlkes afterward gave him Amazon gift cards.

Fowlkes told troopers he gave the student gift cards as a reward for good grades.

Fowlkes is a correspondence instructor and tutor at Hutchison High School. He remained jailed Tuesday at Fairbanks Correctional Center.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ANCHORAGE - One suspect was taken into custody and another may still be on the loose following an armed robbery Wednesday at an East Anchorage mobile home park.

Around noon, police received a report of an armed robbery on the 1000 block of Boniface Parkway at the Mayflower Circle Park, according to police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro. Two men were seen fleeing a residence.

Police identified two victims at the scene, one of whom sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated by medics, Castro said.

One of the men was apprehended, Castro said, and police are still searching for another possible suspect.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – A 52-year-old Roman Catholic priest who serves in the University of Alaska Fairbanks parish has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest on a driving under the influence charge.

Father Sean P. Thomson also is charged with misdemeanor drug and weapons counts.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://bit.ly/1gukD0P) reports Thomson was stopped Monday on the Parks Highway near McKinley Village.

An Alaska State Trooper says in a criminal complaint that he spotted Thomson’s pickup weaving into the oncoming lane.

Trooper Christopher Bitz says Thomson appeared disoriented. He acknowledged having a handgun the truck’s back seat but didn’t mention a second handgun in his pocket.

Bitz says he found a small amount of marijuana in another pocket.

Thompson is free on $5,000 bail.

Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)