A 32-year-old Kodiak man was arrested after he barricaded himself in his apartment and tried to bribe an Alaska State Trooper to let him go by offering the officer $100, authorities say.

Billy Yovino, Jr., 32, was arrested for bribery, seven counts of reckless endangerment and two counts of fourth-degree weapons misconduct, according to an online dispatch.

Around 3 a.m. Friday, a woman contacted troopers about Yovino — her neighbor — and said the man was “intoxicated, in possession of two firearms and was banging on her apartment door,” the dispatch says.

When troopers arrived at the apartment building, Yovino retreated into his residence and refused to leave. AST asked for backup from the Kodiak Police Department, and the two groups tried to negotiate with the 32-year-old. Seven people at the complex were also evacuated.

While the negotiation was going on, Yovino admitted to having firearms and “was actively consuming alcohol,” according to the dispatch.

About two and a half hours after the neighbor reported Yovino’s alleged disruptive behavior, the man surrendered peacefully. He was found to have a rifle and 12-gauge shotgun in his possession.

Before being taken to the Kodiak jail, Yovino “offered to bribe a State Trooper by requesting to let Yovino go free in exchange for $100,” troopers wrote.

Alexie Kapotak - Facebook photo

A 21-year-old man accused of brutally beating a 2-year-old boy and two women changed his plea to guilty Friday, according to the Anchorage District Attorney’s office.

Alexie Kapotek originally faced six charges: three counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and a single count of fourth-degree assault. As part of a plea deal, Kapotek pleaded guilty to three counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault, according to the District Attorney’s office.

Kapotek was arrested in January after Anchorage police were called to the scene of domestic disturbance at a Spenard apartment complex at 2 a.m. Officers arrived to see a woman, Angela Grice, being pushed out of an apartment, bleeding from multiple bite marks.

She screamed, “He’s killing her,” court documents disclosed.

More screaming could be heard from inside the apartment. Police forced their way through the door and found Sherina Nelson “sitting on a bedroom floor, crying hysterically, and holding an infant,” court documents said. Both Nelson and her son, known as “Baby D,” were covered in blood, as was a wall and other areas of a bedroom.

Kapotek, wearing a bloody t-shirt, was found in a bathroom in the apartment and attempted to resist arrest by punching one of the officers in the chest and groin. Multiple officers were required to finally restrain and arrest him.

All three victims were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Baby D’s injuries included multiple skull fractures, a fracture to his eye socket, a fractured clavicle and other injuries, which Nelson told police were caused by Kapotek repeatedly beating him and smashing his face into the ground.

Kapotek, who had been drinking prior to the incident, admitted to repeatedly punching Baby D “three or four times in the head and stomach.”

Baby D’s family shared on a GoFundMe page for his medical bills that he has made progress in his recovery.

“What Baby D has gone through is a true miracle, and he will live to tell his testimony,” the family wrote on the page. “We aren’t good with words, but want to say thank you: Quyana. Quyana for your prayers, and for your support.”

As part of his plea deal, prosecutors will be able to present evidence to the seriousness of Kapotek’s crimes for consideration for his sentencing on Aug. 7. The second-degree assault conviction carries a maximum of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000. The other three charges are Class A misdemeanors, with a maximum prison sentence of one year each and a fine of up to $10,000.

Troopers arrested a man Sunday on assault and disorderly conduct charges after he allegedly punched his girlfriend’s sister in the face.

On April 12, a Kobuk woman reported that “she’d been punched in the face by her sister’s boyfriend,” according to an online Alaska State Troopers dispatch. The woman sustained “serious injuries,” troopers say, adding that alcohol was a factor.

AST says the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Tommy Lee Jones, could not initially be located when authorities responded. An arrest warrant was obtained and Jones was taken into custody on April 26 on a charge of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

A judge is sending a man he calls “one of the most dangerous people to come to Kodiak” to prison for attempted assault and coercion.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror (http://bit.ly/1I6eZ3r) reports Judge Steve Cole sentenced Robert Zoellner Jr. to 15 years behind bars as part of a plea deal. Six of the years will be suspended.

The case began with a woman claiming she was violently raped at a popular park. During their investigation, law-enforcement officials found videos and photos from the suspect’s computer showing him sexually assaulting another woman.

Cole asked Zoellner if he had anything to say before sentencing.

The 34-year-old replied he just wanted to thank the court.

District Attorney Steve Wallace says the victims wanted to have the matter resolved without having to go to trial.

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Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Anchorage police are asking for the public’s help finding 40-year-old Alvin Rodriguez-Moya, who they say is a person of interest in an early-morning homicide case.

APD is investigating the death of an adult male at a residence located on the 3000 block of Penland Parkway, in Airport Heights. Police were called to the residence just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday where they found a man deceased in the home, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department. APD also found an adult female at the residence with life-threatening injuries. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

APD says it’s “withholding information specific to the nature of the injuries and the incident at this time until the investigation progresses,” adding that no suspect has been taken into custody at this time.

Police are searching for Moya as a person of interest because they believe he has information related to the investigation. Moya is considered armed and dangerous. He is approximately 5’11″ and weighs 200 pounds. Anyone with Moya’s whereabouts is asked to contact APD immediately. Police are asking the public not to intervene if they see him — call APD at 786-8900.

Anchorage police have arrested and charged a man accused of fatally stabbing a man and seriously injuring a woman at a home in East Anchorage Sunday.

Alvin Rodriguez-Moya, 40, has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, first degree assault and first-degree burglary, according to a statement from the Anchorage Police Department.

Just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday, APD responded to a trailer on the 3000 block of Penland Parkway for a reported stabbing. Police found a deceased man inside the home — later identified as 33-year-old Paolo Grassi — with multiple stab wounds. His next of kin has been notified, police say.

A 56-year-old woman, also with multiple stab wounds, was found inside the home and hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. As of Monday morning she is in stable condition, APD says.

Based on an investigation, APD determined Rodriguez-Moya broke into the home and got into a fight with Grassi before the stabbing. The woman, who previously had been in a relationship with Rodriguez-Moya, was also stabbed.

The 40-year-old suspect fled the area, but contacted police around 9 p.m. Sunday to turn himself in. A citizen had also called police about spotting Rodriguez-Moya walking around East Anchorage around the same time. He was remanded to the Anchorage jail.

Anchorage police have taken a suspect into custody following a shooting in East Anchorage Wednesday morning.

At about 10:17 a.m., the Anchorage Police Department was dispatched to a residence on the 6700 block of Lunar Drive to investigate reports of a shooting victim.

Witnesses told police two men with a painting crew working in the neighborhood were arguing over equipment when one man pulled out a gun and shot the other multiple times, according to APD Sgt. Tadd McCauley. The suspect, 53-year-old Jeffrey Skillingstad, left the area in a vehicle following the shooting.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital by for treatment of his wounds and was listed in serious condition, according to APD spokeswoman Renee Oistad. As of 4 p.m., the victim was out of surgery and is “expected to recover,” Oistad says.

A fellow crew member said he ran in the other direction when he heard one of the men say, “I’m going to kill you.” The crew member, who asked not to be named, said Skillingstad was known to be a “hot head.”

Police located Skillingstad at 11th Court and Friendly Lane and took him into custody, transporting him to APD headquarters for an interview. Oistad says they do not believe there are any other suspects involved.

Skillingstad was charged with first and third-degree assault, fourth-degree misconduct involving a weapon and reckless endangerment. He was taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex and held on a $250,000 bail.

Three North Pole men were arrested Tuesday after one of them says he accidentally texted an Alaska State Trooper while trying to sell drugs.

Logan Martz, 31, sent a text message to a Fairbanks AST drug investigator offering to sell him heroin. “Martz thought he was contacting someone else,” according to an online dispatch.

Troopers went to Martz’s home and arrested him, charging him with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, AST says. They also found and arrested Nicholas Axhelm, 25, at the scene for an outstanding warrant relating to another drug investigation.

While investigating the first two arrests, Matthew Howell, 29, approached the residence. Howell was found to be violating the conditions of his release in a prior drug and weapons case, and was arrested, according to troopers. Troopers found a small amount of heroin on him and also charged him with fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance.

In total, 7.9 grams was found at the residence or on the men, according to AST spokeswoman Megan Peters, worth roughly $4,800. Also found were large appliances reported stolen from another North Pole residence. Those items have been returned, Peters said.

All three men were taken to the Fairbanks Correctional Center and arraigned Wednesday.

Two men from separate western Alaska villages are accused of shooting weapons around their communities, in one case striking three people with birdshot.

Troopers say no serious injuries were reported in Tuluksak, where 20-year-old Gerald Lemont was arrested on charges of attempted murder, assault and weapons misconduct.

Lemont is accused of shooting a family member in the face Wednesday with a shotgun containing birdshot, then shooting a tribal police officer in the back and another person around the head.

According to troopers, all the Tuluksak victims declined medical attention.

In Tununak 26-year-old Greg Angaiak was arrested on charges of assault, theft, weapons misconduct and violating conditions of release. Troopers say Angaiak was accused of shooting a gun into the air around the village Wednesday.

Both men are in custody in Bethel. It’s unclear if they have attorneys.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Lower Kuskokwim School District

A teacher in a western Alaska village was arrested Thursday following an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.

The Bethel Office of Children’s Services sent a report to Alaska State Troopers on April 21 regarding a teenager in the village of Kwigillingok who had allegedly been sexually abused by one of the village’s teachers.

Through the course of their investigation, troopers identified 31-year-old Michael Wier as the teacher. On Thursday, an arrest warrant was issued for Wier, who was taken to the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center under a single charge of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and held on a $50,000 bail.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

Photo courtesy KYUK

A man who was shot by Bethel police after chasing and striking an officer with a baseball bat was sentenced to three years in prison with two suspended. Aaron Moses was sentenced Friday in Bethel Superior Court. Because he’s been in custody since last summer, he will have time served credited to his sentence.

In a sentencing hearing focusing on Moses’ well-being, his brother, Byron Moses, spoke briefly about the mental health struggles of his sibling.

“Despite all of this I still love my brother. I just pray and hope he gets the help he needs. I’m not here to testify against him. I’m here telling him he needs help,” said Moses.

The court says that Moses had not been taking his medication last summer when he began fighting with his brother after asking for a gun because he was suicidal. He then went outside with a baseball bat and broke the windows on his brother’s truck.

He swung the bat at Bethel police as they unsuccessfully tried to subdue him. After officer Sammie Hendrix was knocked to the ground and struck, he shot Moses. A witness captured the incident on video.

Judge Dwayne McConnell also sentenced Moses to three years of probation with several conditions.

“One the conditions is that you have to take your medication, in my view that’s the most important one. If you don’t, like I told you, you’ll be back here in court. And I don’t want to see you in court, I just want to see you at the AC or the Sea Lion or someplace.”

Moses originally faced two assault charges and one for felony criminal mischief. With his guilty plea, it was reduced to one felony assault charge for causing injury with a weapon.

This story originates from KYUK and was published with permission.

Police are investigating an early morning disturbance that happened Sunday outside of the Playhouse bar in  downtown Anchorage.

At around 3 a.m., the Anchorage Police Department began receiving calls of the disturbance.

“Officers were in the area for bar break,” said Sgt. Clinton Peck with APD. “And as the disturbance broke out, we heard multiple shots fires in the parking lot here.”

Peck says at least 20 rounds were fired, with those bullets striking at least three vehicles in the area. No injuries have been reported, APD says.

“Officers that were here on scene could definitely tell there were at least two guns fired simultaneously,” said Peck.

No arrests have been made, as of early afternoon Sunday, but the occupants of two vehicles that were “seen by other officers and witness at the scene as being involved” were detained on scene as police conducted interviews.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Updated Monday, May 11, 3:15 p.m.

A woman was arrested Sunday on an assault charge after police say she allegedly stabbed a man she had been in a prior relationship with.

Just after 5:30 a.m., police were called to “a homeless camp near Chester Creek and C Street” after reports of a stabbing that occurred at a homeless tent, according to charging documents.

There, police found an adult male with multiple stab wounds.

Charging documents identify the stabbing victim as Alfred Canales, who suffered a 6-inch stab wound to his lower left abdomen “with fatty tissue coming out.” He also had cut wounds to his left hand and a cut above his right eye.

APD says he was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Elizabeth Chiskok, was found intoxicated in the woods, charging documents say.

“Chiskok had blood on her hands, her pants and a bloody knife in her back left pocket,” the documents state.

Chiskok was “cooperative with police” and was taken into custody at the scene. She has been charged with first-degree assault — a Class A felony — and was arraigned Monday.

“A preliminary investigation determined that Chiskok knew the victim and had been in a prior relationship with him,” APD says. “The suspect and the victim got into a verbal altercation and Chiskok stabbed the adult male.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

A 33-year-old woman was arrested Sunday evening after she allegedly used a hatchet to break seven flatscreen TVs at a Juneau department store, police say.

Miranda Davison was arrested for third-degree criminal mischief, a class C felony, for smashing the TVs — valued at about $5,000 — and fleeing the department store on the 6000 block of the Glacier Highway, according to a statement from the Juneau Police Department.

Juneau police received a report of the vandalism around 6 p.m. Sunday and tracked down a woman matching the suspect description near the Glacier Highway and Davis Avenue, the JPD statement said.

Davidson was taken to the Lemon Creek Correctional Center without bail. Alcohol was not a factor, police said.

Updated Tuesday, May 12 at 10:21 a.m.

A shooting outside of a trailer off Muldoon Road left a man in critical condition Monday, Anchorage police say.

Just after 7 p.m., the Anchorage Police Department received a report of a disturbance between multiple people in the area of the 700 block of Muldoon Road.

“Shortly thereafter, we got reports of gunshots in the area,” said Sgt. Shaun Henry with APD. “Almost immediately after that, we got a report of a male victim who was struck by the gunfire.”

Multiple shots were fired during the dispute, police say, but it was initially unclear whether multiple guns were involved.

“There’s a lot of shell casings out in the street,” Henry said. “We’ve got, right now, the victim’s residence, and another trailer and another vehicle were also struck by gunfire.”

The victim, identified as a 39-year-old male, was taken to the hospital in critical condition to undergo emergency surgery.

No suspects have been taken into custody at this time, police say, adding that one potential suspect has been identified. Two vehicles believed to be involved in the shooting have been impounded.

Police are asking anyone with information to call APD at 786-8900.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

A judge has dismissed the harassment conviction of a man who was roughly arrested by a former Bethel police officer in the AC parking lot.

Judge Bruce Ward approved the application Monday for post conviction relief filed by Wassillie Gregory’s attorney after video surfaced last month.

From a distance it shows the arrest by officer Andrew Reid, in which the intoxicated Gregory is slammed to the ground several times.

Attorney Sean Brown’s motion on behalf of Gregory cited the new video evidence that contradicted the officer’s report of the arrest. The district attorney did not oppose the motion and the judge approved it.

Gregory pleaded guilty last year to the harassment charge without the assistance of an attorney. He originally faced charges for harassment, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. The latter charges were dismissed with the guilty plea.

A 31-year-old Nikiski woman was arrested on a second-degree attempted murder charge Monday evening after she allegedly fired multiple shots at a vehicle because she said the motorist was driving recklessly.

Monday around 8 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received a report that a person was shot at while operating a vehicle near Island Lake Road in Nikiski, according to an online dispatch.

Troopers canvassed the area and identified the shooting suspect as 31-year-old Alice Gray.

“Gray admitted she fired multiple rounds into the victim’s vehicle as it passed her on the roadway because she thought he was driving recklessly,” the dispatch says.

The driver, who was the only person in the targeted vehicle, was not harmed, troopers said. Gray was arrested for second-degree attempted murder and taken to the Wildwood Pretrial Facility where she was held without bail. The firearm used in the incident was recovered.

A Fort Wainwright soldier will be court-martialed for allegedly raping a child while on base.

Spc. Nicholas Shane Marcum, 28, is accused of the “rape of a child who had attained the age of 12 but not attained the age of 16 years, by using force” on May 14, 2014, according to a statement from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson spokesman John Pennell. He is also accused of providing alcohol to a minor on the same day. Charges were filed against Marcum May 5, 2015.

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Marcum violated Articles 120b and 134, and will face general court-martial before an enlisted panel on July 8.

Marcum is not being held in pre-trial confinement, according to Pennell.

“It is normal for soldiers to not be in pre-trial confinement unless the crime they are accused of would lead to the belief they could be a physical danger to themselves or others,” Pennell said.

Originally from Spokane, WA, Marcum joined the Army in April 2012 and trained at Fort Jackson in South Carolina before being assigned to the 9th Army Band at Fort Wainwright in September 2012, according to the release from JBER.

Anchorage police and city officials say crime numbers are down, and the municipality is a safe place to live and play.

That’s according to the statistics shown in the 2014 Uniform Crimes Report (UCR).

At a press conference held on Tuesday morning, Mayor Dan Sullivan said Anchorage is the safest it has been in years.

“Even though there’s fewer officers, Anchorage is a safer city than it’s ever been,” Sullivan said. “And that’s just good news. You can throw a dart at how many officers you think you should have, but it’s how you deploy those officers, not how many you have.”

Mayor Sullivan and Anchorage Police Department Chief Mark Mew praised the recent statistics. Sullivan said the 2014 report should help quell fears that Anchorage crime is on the rise.

“The numbers really don’t bear out what was kind of the rhetoric on the [mayoral] campaign, that Anchorage has become more dangerous, and, you know, the trends are going in the wrong direction. The trends are going in the right direction, and 14 to 13 proves that,” Sullivan said.

According to the report, overall crimes are down by 340 incidents from 2013 to 2014. The total number of homicides, forcible rapes, robberies and thefts are all down. Burglaries, vehicle thefts and aggravated assaults are up.

Of the seven crimes reported in the study, four are down and three are up.

“Felony assaults, that’s where there is serious physical injury. That’s where there’s some sort of weapon being used. We’re going to include choking behavior. But, what that doesn’t cover is your typical, misdemeanor Fourth Avenue pushing and shoving match,” said Chief Mew.

But it’s those pushing and shoving matches, and the recent string of violent crimes, that have some police officers saying the UCR doesn’t represent the current state of crime in Anchorage.

“For me to stand here and say crime is down, I think I would look foolish. Because we are seeing a shooting every day, a stabbing every day. We’re seeing violent crimes every few days here in Anchorage,” said Jeff Bell, vice president of the Anchorage Police Employees Association.

So far this year there have been at least 10 homicides in Anchorage, according to APD. Bell says one of the biggest issues is there simply are not enough officers to patrol the streets and be proactive in helping prevent crime from happening.

“I think we need to listen to the public. They’re telling us they don’t feel safe, and to sit there and say, ‘Yes you do, and here’s why,’ I think that’s irresponsible,” Bell said.

On Tuesday afternoon, people in downtown Anchorage expressed their concerns.

“Guns, guns, guns, guns, every week, shoot, shoot, knife, knife. I don’t know what’s going on these past three motnhs. It’s just crazy,” said Peggy Otton.

I would say I feel less safe this year than I did two or three years ago. There are more violent crimes near me,” said Mary Mathisen.

Last Updated: Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 6:00 PM

Anchorage police have identified the two adults and two children found dead in a South Anchorage four-plex Wednesday.

In a Thursday morning press conference, the Anchorage Police Department identified the deceased as 24-year-old Curtis Young, III; 27-year-old Desiree Leandra Gonzalez; 4-year-old Zaiden E. Young and 17-month-old Zarielle A. Young. They were killed in what appears to be an “isolated domestic violence-related incident,” according to police.

All the family members had suffered gunshot wounds, and a gun was found in the home, according to APD Sgt. Mike Couturier, but, he said, it’s too early in the investigation to know what led to the shootings.

Court documents suggest there may have been past problems in the couple’s relationship.

In 2011 Curtis Young pled no contest to a domestic violence assault charge with a victim identified only as “D.G.” The records show Young completed a state-ordered Domestic Violence Intervention Program that same year.

Four months later, police were again called to the couple’s home where Gonzalez told officers Curtis choked her until she passed out two separate times. Curtis pled guilty to fourth-degree assault and criminal mischief.

At a press conference Thursday morning police wouldn’t say who they think may have killed the family but they did say a weapon was found at the scene and they were not looking for any additional suspects. Police did say a murder-suicide was one possibility.

Gonzalez’s father discovered the deceased after he told police he became concerned when Young didn’t show up to drop the children off in the morning, which was his routine, according to a statement from APD spokeswoman Anita Shell.

Gonzalez didn’t answer the phone when her father called, so he went to the home on East 74th Avenue.

“[T]he doors were locked, so he entered through a window and discovered the family dead,” Shell wrote.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office will perform autopsies to determine causes of death, but Couturier said authorities are not searching for a suspect.

“It seems that the entire incident occurred within the residence,” Couturier said. “At this point in the investigation we believe this is an isolated domestic violence related  incident and are not looking for any additional suspects.”

Few other details were available Thursday morning as police continue to investigate the case.

“This was a very catastrophic scene,” Couturier said.

–This is a developing story.