Photo courtesy Montgomery County Police Department

A man charged in connection with the double homicide of his Maryland neighbors was taken into custody Saturday by the Juneau Police Department.

Scott Michael Tomaszewski is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Richard and Julianne Vilardo, found dead in their Rockville, Maryland home on Sunday, May 10. Tomaszewski is also charged with two counts of armed robbery and one count of first-degree burglary, according to the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland.

Tomaszewski was a neighbor of the Vilardo’s, police say, and “had been given access to the home by the Vilardo family as a caretaker while they were gone.” As detectives investigated the double homicide, they learned there had been a previous burglary of the Vilardo home in 1998. Additionally, detectives learned that in April 2015, there had been another burglary at a different residence in the neighborhood. Evidence revealed that Tomaszewski had pawned items related to that burglary.

This led investigators to serve a warrant at the Tomaszewski residence Saturday, for evidence of the April burglary. Also on Saturday, in Juneau, three Montgomery County detectives, Juneau police and other authorities, found Tomaszewski on a cruise ship docked near the 800 block of South Franklin Street.

Police say evidence linking Tomaszewski to the burglary and the murders — including money with “possible blood on it” that was believed to have come from the Vilardo home — was discovered in his Juneau cabin and at his home in Rockville.

JPD took Tomaszewski into custody, and ”while being questioned, Tomaszewski confessed to killing Richard and Julianne Vilardo,” Montgomery County police say.

A statement from the Vilardo family reads:

We would like to acknowledge and thank Sgt. Larry Haley and Det. Carvajal and their team with the Montgomery County Police Department for their remarkable detective work which took them from Rockville, Maryland all the way to Juneau, Alaska. They have worked tirelessly, around-the-clock, since this horrific crime was reported last Sunday and we are deeply appreciative of their efforts. [...] For the past week, we have known the where, the when and the how; now we know who. And, while we may never truly understand why, as a result of the work of the police department and the prosecutors’ office, we can take the first step on the long road to healing.

Tomaszewski will soon be transported to Montgomery County for arraignment, police say.

A 23-year-old was shot multiple times and killed in a parking lot adjacent to the Rock n Rodeo bar in Fairbanks early Sunday morning, after police say a bar fight escalated.

John D. Kavairlook, Jr. and another male were fighting inside the Old Steese Highway bar when they were escorted outside by security,” according to a release from the Fairbanks Police Department.

The fight escalated again in the parking lot at around 2:30 a.m., the release says. Three additional males joined the altercation, and one of them fired multiple shots at Kavairlook. He was struck several times and was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin has been identified, police say.

It is believed all four males fled the scene together in a vehicle. Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the male Kavairlook had the initial altercation with. He is described as a “darkly complected” male, somewhere between 5’8″ and 5’11″ in height and 200-230 pounds in weight. Police say the suspect has a “stocky build and closely cut short hair.” He was wearing all dark clothing and black shoes — one of which came off during the fight and the man retrieved later.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call FPD detective Alana Malloy at 907-450-6557. Additionally, anyone with surveillance footage from the area is asked to call FPD or contact Malloy via email at ajmalloy@ci.fairbanks.ak.us.

Alaska State Troopers are investigating two fires in two days in Atmautluak, a village located west of Bethel.

On Saturday, at about 4:20 p.m., AST was notified of a fire in the Tribal Office Building.

“Atmautluak Public Safety and local residents were able to contain the fire to one room and the outside of the building,” according to an online AST dispatch.

Troopers arrived in Atmautluak the next day and investigation revealed that the fire had been started by two children playing with lighters under the building.

The investigation in ongoing, troopers say.

Early Sunday morning, just after 3 a.m., troopers were notified of another fire at the old Moravian Church.

“The fire had totally destroyed the abandoned church and had caused damage to an occupied house next door,” AST says.

Troopers’ investigation revealed that the fire was started by a 13-year-old and an 18-year-old who were playing with fire. No injuries were reported.

The investigation into this fire is also ongoing.

A man is in the hospital with a skull fracture and a broken nose after he was attacked with a tree branch on his way to work.

Police say the man was biking to work Monday at about 8:45 a.m., traveling eastbound on the Chester Creek bike trail. He was attacked by three young males who were walking on the trail about 80 yards west of the Goose Lake overpass.

One of the teens was carrying a tree branch approximately 5 feet long and 2 inches in diameter, which he was using as a walking stick, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department.

“As the cyclist passed, the male swung the branch directly into the victim’s face,” APD says.

The victim sustained a skull fracture, a broken nose and a fractured right orbital bone, police say. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries and will remain for overnight observation.

Now, APD is asking for the public’s help finding the suspects, described as “three black males with medium skin tone complexion.”

The man suspected to have struck the cyclist is believed to be 15 years old, with a medium build and short hair. The second male is described as 17 or 18 years old, 6 feet tall, with curly hair on the top and short hair on the side. No description is available of the third male, police say.

This attack follows a stabbing on the Chester Creek trail at the end of March. That incident, where a woman says she was hit in the back of the head and stabbed, took place near Monday’s attack.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call APD at 786-8900 or submit a tip anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP.

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

Evidence board displayed by prosecutors

A 40-year-old Anchorage man, who committed crimes a U.S. District Court judge described as “inhumane,” was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life in prison on Friday.

Stuart T. Seugasala, aka “Tone,” was arrested in June 2013 and convicted in January 2015 for a string of crimes that included drug trafficking, kidnapping, firearms and health privacy violations. At the sentencing, Judge Ralph R. Beistline said that the nature of the crimes led him to hand down a harsh sentence in order to protect the public from Seugasala.

Seugasala’s associates have also been convicted, and some sentenced. Miller received 12 years in prison for kidnapping and HIPAA violations, while Sialofi received 19 years for the same charges. Khamnivong will be sentenced June 10.

A 32-year-old man was shot in the arm while he sat in his vehicle in a Fairview parking lot.

Shortly after noon on Monday, the Anchorage Police Department received a call that a man fired several shots at another man in the lot of an apartment complex, located on the 800 block of Karluk Street.

The victim said he was sitting in the vehicle when a dark-colored sedan pulled up. The passenger got out of the suspect vehicle, fired several rounds at the victim and fled the scene in the sedan.

Multiple bullet holes could be seen in the victim’s car windshield. The man was shot twice in the arm and taken to the hospital; his injuries are not life-threatening, police say.

“The shooter is described as a black male, bald, approximately 6’ tall with gold teeth,” APD says.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call police at 786-8900.

Updated Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.

Two men have been arrested in connection with a heroin drug ring between California and Alaska.

The Mat-Su Drug Enforcement Unit, with the help of other agencies, concluded an investigation Monday, after legwork led them to 26-year-old Macario Jose Lopez, who was found in an Anchorage hotel with approximately 105.5 grams of heroin, carrying a street value of $31,000.

While investigators were on scene, another male arrived, according to an online Alaska State Troopers dispatch. The man, who troopers have identified as a 26-year-old man from Anchorage, was also taken into custody after authorities found he was in possession of $3,000 and a loaded handgun.

Lopez, who troopers say is from California, was arrested for second- and fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance. He was taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where bail was set at $5,000.

The second suspect was arrested for second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, weapons misconduct and second-degree attempted escape, after he attempted to flee custody during transport to the Anchorage jail. His bail was set at $1,000, AST says.

Editor’s note: Troopers mistakenly identified the second suspect in this incident. This story has been changed to reflect AST’s corrected identification, that the second suspect was a 26-year-old man from Anchorage.

The Anchorage Police Department has arrested a man accused of robbing the Lake Otis Parkway Party Time Liquors store at gunpoint early Wednesday morning.

Police responded to the robbery at 12:44 a.m. An employee inside the store had been approached by a male suspect, armed with a rifle and demanding cash. Another employee reportedly arrived at the store just as the suspect was leaving, and the suspect took that employee’s cellphone and car keys, fleeing the scene in the employee’s vehicle.

APD officers located the stolen vehicle at 2:34 a.m., abandoned “in the area of Carriage Drive and Newt Drive,” a statement from APD says.

Around 5:22 a.m., police were called to the scene of a verbal dispute on the 6000 block of Spruce Meadows Drive. One of the three individuals involved, 27-year-old Miguel Batista, was armed with a rifle and believed to be the suspect involved in the robbery, APD spokesman Renee Oistad says. All three were transported to APD headquarters for interviews, where it was determined Batista acted alone in the robbery. The other individuals were released.

Further investigation revealed the firearm used in the robbery had been reported stolen from a local store earlier this year.

Batista was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, vehicle theft, three counts of third-degree assault and one count of third-degree theft. He was remanded to the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where he awaits his arraignment tomorrow, according to police.

Troopers say heroin use is on the rise in Alaska, and it’s reached epidemic proportions is some parts of the state.

On Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers announced the arrests of two men in connection with a California-to-Alaska drug ring. The arrests were the culmination of work between different agencies, including AST and the Anchorage Police Department. Troopers seized 4 ounces of heroin, with a street value of more than $30,000.

“That’s a very large amount for one person to have,” said Lt. Rex Leath with the AST Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit. “Sometimes, we find people that use heroin will have 1/10 of a gram on them. This situation, well over a hundred grams were found on this person.”

In the past three years, troopers say heroin-related arrests have been on the rise, going from 146 in 2012 to 209 in 2014 — and those numbers are still climbing.

“In the first six months of this year, compared to last year, the arrests just for the Mat-Su Valley Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit are up over 50 percent,” said Leath.

Leath says the Valley has been hit particularly hard by increasing heroin problems.

“It’s an epidemic right now, as far as the amount of heroin that’s in that community,” he said.

Troopers say evidence of the state’s heroin use can also be found in parks, driveways and along the roadways, as users are disposing of needles in an unsafe way.

“We have heard from around the state, as recently as last week, communities that used to never see disposed needles in their area are starting to find a lot of those needles,” said Leath.

The Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s) offers a free and anonymous needle exchange program in Anchorage.

“We ask people to bring their used syringes, gets them off the street and safely disposed of,” said Jamez Terry. ”Then, we offer sterile syringes.”

Since starting their program in 2007, Four A’s averaged about 50 new users per month. Last month, the agency saw more than 100 new clients.

“Typically, we’ve been exchanging about 26,000 syringes a month, which is a pretty high number to begin with. Last month, we exchanged over 40,000,” said Terry.

Troopers are hopeful the trends will change.

“We feel like we are on the pulse of what’s happening,” said Leath.

AST says cracking down on heroin use is its primary focus right now in the SDEU.

Contact Jacquie Slater at jslater@ktva.com and @JacquieSlater

A little over a week after a family of four was found dead in a South Anchorage home, police say evidence supports the theory that the boyfriend killed his girlfriend and their two children before ending his own life.

On May 13, the Anchorage Police Department discovered 24-year-old Curtis Young, III; 27-year-old Desiree Leandra Gonzalez; 4-year-old Zaiden Young and 17-month-old Zarielle Young dead in a four-plex on East 74th Avenue.

All the family members had suffered gunshot wounds. The State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted autopsies on the bodies to determine the causes of death.

“While the investigation is still [ongoing], with lab results pending, the evidence supports the theory that this was a contained scene and that this was a murder/suicide,” said APD spokeswoman Anita Shell in a statement Thursday morning.

Police built their case after collecting evidence from the crime scene and interviewing “numerous family and friends,” Shell wrote.

–This is a developing story. 

One man was shot late Wednesday night during an East Anchorage home invasion that appears to be drug-related, police say.

Responding officers say the 34-year-old man sustained “grazing” wounds to his upper arm and the front of his mouth, which resulted “in the loss of some teeth and soft tissue damage to his lips,” according to a statement from Anita Shell, Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman.

Witnesses told police three masked men entered the apartment on the 400 block of Reka Drive and “demanded money from the occupants inside,” Shell wrote. The man was shot before the trio fled, police say, who responded to the home just before midnight.

People in the apartment told police they ”didn’t know who the robbers were or why they would shoot the victim and attempt to rob them,” Shell wrote.

In a phone interview, Shell said the home invasion does appear to be drug related. She was unsure what items, if any, had been stolen from the apartment.

No additional suspect information is available, police say. APD asks anyone with additional information to call the department at 786-8900. The public can also submit tips anonymously by calling 561-STOP or going online.

The Anchorage Police Department announced the arrests of three men in connection with a shooting that took place Monday in Fairview.

Isaiah Holloway, 25, and Lamont Moore, 35, were both arrested Tuesday during a high-risk traffic stop near the intersection of Fourth Avenue and A Street after the APD Street Crimes Task Force identified them as suspects in a shooting on Karluk Street that sent a 32-year-old male victim to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The victim told police he was sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex when the suspects drove up. Moore exited the suspects’ vehicle and allegedly fired several rounds into the windshield of the victim’s car, hitting him twice in the arm.

“It was not a random act but the extent of the relationship is still being investigated,” said APD spokeswoman Renee Oistad.

Moore was charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and third-degree misconduct involving a weapon. Holloway faces charges of first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault.

Holloway’s brother, Ishmael Holloway, was also arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence and violating conditions of felony release.

The investigation is ongoing.

A 27-year-old Kodiak man has pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide after running over a homeless man in 2008 and leaving him to die.

KMXT reports (http://is.gd/JvxONU) Bradford Blondin entered his plea Tuesday in exchange for a recommended 10-year sentence with six years suspended. Sentencing was set for Aug. 27.

His plea came in the April 29, 2008, death of 43-year-old Justin McGriff, a dishwasher who was living in tent outside town.

He was last seen being dropped by a cab at the base of Pillar Mountain Road, where he was later run over. The coroner said he likely would have survived his injuries had he received care.

Blondin’s truck was quickly seized by police but he wasn’t charged for four years, partially because of a backlog at the state crime lab.

___

Information from: KMXT-FM, http://www.kmxt.org

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

Photo courtesy Anchorage Police Department

A man indicted for sexually assaulting a woman and kidnapping her and her children last month has received more charges.

Dustin Badillo, 20, was previously indicted on robbery, burglary, kidnapping and theft charges — 18 in all — after he approached a woman and her two children in their garage April 22. He then sexually assaulted the woman, forced the family into their vehicle and went to various bank, ATM and retail locations around town to withdraw money from the woman’s bank account, according to court documents.

The new charges — second-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and third-degree assault — stem from crimes that allegedly took place April 23, the day after the kidnappings.

The Anchorage Police Department nabbed Badillo April 23 after a foot chase in West Anchorage. A caller reported to police that Badillo had tried to burglarize a home and was armed with a gun.

A mother is pleading not guilty to allegations that she physically and verbally assaulted her 15-month-old daughter during an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Honolulu.

A criminal complaint says Samantha Leialoha Watanabe cursed at the toddler, smacked her in the back of the head, pinched her and pulled out bits of her hair during the May 3 flight. A passenger told the FBI Watanabe stuck a wad of cash in the girl’s diaper.

Watanabe didn’t say anything during her arraignment Friday in federal court in Honolulu. Her federal defender, Alexander Silvert, declined to comment after the hearing.

A judge says Watanabe must enter a residential drug treatment program when space becomes available. Trial is scheduled for July.

If convicted, the Hawaii resident faces up to a year in jail.

A Tok man has been jailed after troopers say he fired a gun into a sporting goods store while his wife was locked inside.

The Daily News-Miner reports (http://bit.ly/1cd6DJ3 ) that Alaska State Troopers responded to calls about a disturbance at Three Bears Outpost in Tok and found a 59-year-old man leaving the area.

Officials say he was intoxicated and had been arguing with his wife. When he tried to enter the sporting goods store to contact her, the manager locked him out.

Troopers say the man then fired three shots into the store with his handgun, narrowly missing the manager.

They charged the man with misconduct involving weapons, assault and driving under the influence.

___

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

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

Updated Monday, May 25, 3:25 p.m.

William Jarrett IV, 25, was arraigned Monday on one count of third-degree assault, third-degree weapons misconduct and second-degree theft.

Original story

Police have arrested the 25-year-old man who fired a handgun in front of APD officers early Sunday morning.

William Jarrett IV has been a convicted felon since 2008 and “therefore is not allowed to either be in possession of a firearm or reside in a home where firearms are located,” according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department.

At about 4:45 a.m., APD responded to a South Anchorage residence after receiving a report of a theft and assault. Police say Jarrett lives at the home, located on the 12000 block of Atherton Rd., with a roommate.

“Jarrett and his roommate got into a verbal altercation, and then a physical one when Jarrett attempted to take possession of a firearm owned by the roommate,” APD says, adding that the roommate received minor cuts and abrasions. “Jarrett was ultimately able to grab the gun and left the house on foot with it.”

When APD officers caught up with Jarrett, he “refused to stop and produced the handgun from his backpack,” police say. While on the property of another resident, he fired the weapon into the ground and then ran away into the woods.

Police obtained an arrest warrant and spent time on Sunday searching for Jarrett.

At about 10:18 a.m., a man in the Bear Valley neighborhood told APD he spotted Jarrett based on the photos he’d “seen in the news earlier in the day.”

A K-9 unit and SWAT team members began tracking him just before 2:30 p.m.

At around 3:15 p.m., Jarrett was taken into custody after he was located and bitten by a police dog. Police say medics were called to the scene to treat the bite.

Updated Monday, May 25, 11:30 a.m.

A body was found early Sunday morning in the area of the boardwalk at Pinky’s Park in Bethel. Police have identified a suspect in what is now a homicide investigation.

At around 4 a.m., the Bethel Police Department responded to reports of a dead body found at Pinky’s Park. When officers arrived to the area, they found the remains of a female in nearby bushes, according to a release from Bethel police.

The scene was secured in order for investigators to process it for evidence. Alaska State Troopers from Anchorage were sent to the scene to work with Bethel police on the case.

The female has been identified as 23-year-old Eunice Whitman, of Bethel. The cause of death has yet to be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office, but police say it appears she sustained multiple stab wounds.

Sunday night, Bethel police identified 24-year-old Justine Paul — Whitman’s boyfriend — as a suspect in the incident. When police searched Paul’s residence, they found evidence believed to be linked to the murder, a BPD release says. They have also collected forensic evidence from Paul.

Paul has been arrested for first-degree murder. He is in custody at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center and will be arraigned Monday.

Police stress that this is still an active investigation. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call the Bethel police at (907) 543-3781 and speak with Sgt. Amy Davis.

A 52-year-old man was arrested on assault and attempted arson charges after he tried to set an occupied home on fire early Monday morning, authorities say.

Around 4 a.m. Monday, Alaska State Troopers received a 911 call ”reporting an individual pouring gasoline around an occupied structure,” an online dispatch says. The home is located off Chena Hot Springs Road, said AST spokesperson Megan Peters.

In addition to the attempted arson charge, Kenneth Baxter was also arrested for two counts of third-degree assault, troopers said. He was remanded to the Fairbanks Correctional Center and held without bail.

Updated May 26, 5:15 p.m.

Fairbanks police have released video from the May 17 homicide of John D. Kavairlook, Jr.

FPD is seeking the public’s help in identifying the three men shown in the video below — sought in connection with the events surrounding Kavairlook’s death.

Anyone who can identify the individuals in the video is asked to contact FPD Detective Malloy at ajmalloy@ci.fairbanks.ak.us or 907-450-6557.

May 19 Update

Fairbanks police are calling for witnesses to come forward with any information they have after a 23-year-old was shot multiple times and killed in a parking lot adjacent to the Rock n Rodeo bar in Fairbanks early Sunday morning.

Police say the victim, John D. Kavairlook, Jr., and another male were fighting inside the Old Steese Highway bar when they were escorted outside by security,” according to a release from the Fairbanks Police Department.

The fight escalated again in the parking lot at around 2:30 a.m., the release says. Three additional males joined the altercation, and one of them fired multiple shots at Kavairlook. He was struck several times and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tuesday, the City of Fairbanks and FBD held a press conference regarding the shooting. There, Mayor John Eberhart admitted that he assured Kavairlook’s wife, mother to the victim’s 3-week-old daughter, that “police would not stop investigating until we had caught those responsible,” according to an FPD release.

“Somebody in this town knows who did this terrible crime and we need you to do the right thing,” Eberhart says.

After the shooting, it is believed all four males fled the scene together in a vehicle. Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the male Kavairlook had the initial altercation with. He is described as a “darkly complected” male, somewhere between 5’8″ and 5’11″ in height and 200-230 pounds in weight. Police say the suspect has a “stocky build and closely cut short hair.” He was wearing all dark clothing and black shoes — one of which came off during the fight and the man retrieved later.

FPD detective Alana Malloy is encouraging anyone with information to come forward.

“Several witnesses I have spoken to had not contacted me because they believed someone else had already provided the same information,” said Malloy. “We are getting great leads from the public, please keep those coming in and do not assume that the police department already has the same information that you do.”

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Malloy at 907-450-6557. Tips can also be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 456-2853. Additionally, anyone with surveillance footage from the area is asked to call FPD.