After a six-month investigation into street-level prostitution and sex trafficking in Alaska, authorities say they arrested a Fairbanks man Tuesday.

The investigation — conducted by the Special Crimes Investigation Unit – found 32-year-old Benjamin Bane, of Fairbanks, ”committed several crimes against an adult female, including sexual assault and sex trafficking,” an online dispatch from Alaska State Troopers says.

“The acts included violence and illegal narcotics use,” troopers wrote, adding other potential victims have been identified.

A $200,000 arrest warrant was issued for Bane. Troopers nabbed him at an unidentified business in Fairbanks for two counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count each of first- and second-degree sex trafficking and three counts of third-degree sex trafficking, troopers wrote. All of the charges are felonies.

Bane was held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center. An investigation is ongoing.

An Anchorage man has been arrested after leading police on a car chase, during which the suspect hit an officer with his vehicle, according to Anchorage police.

The incident began when police received a phone call just before 2 a.m. Wednesday from a person reporting “a man who appeared passed out in a running vehicle,” according to a statement from police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro. The vehicle was parked with its lights on at Moose Run Circle.

Police found 33-year-old John Robert Fuller sleeping inside the vehicle. Once awake, Fuller refused to provide police with any information, according to Castro, and even gave them a fake name. When officers told him he was being investigated for operating his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, he reportedly put the key in the ignition and took off.

Castro confirmed that operating a vehicle while intoxicated, even when it is parked, is enough to warrant an investigation.

While fleeing, Fuller struck a patrol vehicle parked behind him and hit an officer, causing a minor injury to his leg. That officer was later taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to Castro.

Police pursued Fuller and tried to pin his vehicle on Ladasa Place, Castro wrote. Fuller pushed through the pin and drove across a front yard, striking a home as he drove by. Fuller then abandoned the vehicle and took of on foot.

After setting up a perimeter, police began to track Fuller with a K9 unit. He was found in a wooded area near Candywine Circle. Fuller reportedly ignored verbal commands to come out, so K9 Aerie was sent after Fuller, who ran eastbound.

Castro said Aerie “latched on” to Fuller, allowing police to arrest him. He was then taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries and collection of a blood sample.

Anchorage Police Department

Fuller faces charges of making a false report, driving with a revoked license, third-degree assault, first-degree felony eluding, resisting arrest, third- and fourth-degree criminal mischief and five counts of reckless endangerment. Castro also noted he may be charged with operating under the influence, based on behavioral observations by police and a witness, the smell of alcohol on him and the results of the alcohol-blood test.

Fuller has three prior driving under the influence convictions and multiple felony and misdemeanor warrants, according to police.

Jared Mazurek/KTVA

Updated on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m.

Court documents released Thursday outlined the events leading up to the death of a 26-year-old man in the early morning hours of Oct. 30.

The body of Spencer Ballenger was found in the parking lot of the Eagle River Carrs when police responded there to reports of a male gunshot victim at 1:50 a.m., court records show.

While investigating the scene, police were notified of a shooting that occurred at the nearby Eagle River Motel before Ballenger was shot and killed. Police determined that Trejo and Joseph Graffius were involved both incidents, as was Ballenger.

Eagle River Motel

Through the course of their investigation, police learned the interactions between Ballenger and Trejo escalated at the Eagle River Motel, court documents show. Trejo arrived at one of the hotel’s rooms and confronted the group inside, which included Graffius and Ballenger, about a missing pistol.

“Everyone in the room, except Ballenger, lifted up their shirt to show they did not have the pistol,” Anchorage police Det. James Estes wrote in his affidavit. “Instead of lifting his shirt, Ballenger pulled out a gun and asked them what they were going to do about it.”

Graffius reportedly told Ballenger it wasn’t worth it, but Trejo and Ballenger “did everything but point guns at each other,” court records noted. Trejo told Ballenger they could “get physical” about it, but didn’t want to involve guns, pulling out his clip and clearing his weapon’s chamber.

Trejo turned and walked out of the room, according to Graffius, and Ballenger fired at least one shot at him. Police later found two bullet holes in the door of the room the group was staying in. Motel surveillance footage showed Trejo backing out of the room and producing a semi-automatic handgun, which he pointed into the room. It was at that time Ballenger appears to have fired back, and Trejo fled. Ballenger, Graffius and the other occupants can then be seen leaving “over the next several minutes.”

Shooting at Carrs

Graffius told police he and Trejo walked to Carrs after the initial confrontation at the motel, “unaware Ballenger was there,” court documents said.

A woman and a security guard witnessed Ballenger and two other men — later identified as 26-year-old murder suspect Aaron Trejo and Joseph Graffius — interacting in the parking lot just before the shooting. The incident was also captured by surveillance cameras at the business.

Ballenger can be seen at Carrs before Trejo and Graffius arrive. The pair sat down on a bench outside and at one point, Trejo got up and walked off. Ballenger came outside shortly after that and saw Graffius on the bench.

“During the first minute and a half of their conversation, Ballenger is walking around as if he is trying to determine if Trejo is nearby,” Estes noted.

Graffius, Trejo and Ballenger can then be heard arguing and “at approximately [1:37 a.m.], Ballenger can be seen flinching and turns to run,” according to Estes. A few seconds later, someone wearing dark clothing can be seen on camera running “down the sidewalk, out into the parking lot.”

“This is when I believe Ballenger was shot,” Estes noted.

Police found multiple .45 caliber shell casings in the parking lot, court records show. A .45 caliber Springfield 1911 pistol was found in a nearby yard, wrapped in a sweater similar to what Trejo can be seen wearing in surveillance footage at both scenes.

Trejo’s arraignment

Anchorage police issued a statement asking for the public’s help in locating Trejo, who was initially called a “person of interest” in the case. U.S. Marshals located Trejo at an Anchorage Holiday gas station late Wednesday night.

Following an interview with police, Trejo was charged with first- and second-degree murder. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and held without bail at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.

Original Story

A 26-year-old man who police said was a person of interest in an Eagle River homicide has been arrested and charged with murder.

Aaron Nathaniel Trejo is facing first- and second-degree murder charges after 26-year-old Spencer Christian Ballenger was discovered fatally shot outside the Eagle River Carrs last week. Trejo is in custody at the Anchorage jail, according to an online database of inmates. He is being held without bail.

Late Wednesday night, U.S. Marshals found Trejo at the Holiday store at 2900 E. Tudor Rd. He was sitting in a vehicle in the Holiday parking lot, according to a Thursday release from the Anchorage Police Department.

Authorities took Trejo into custody and he was questioned at APD headquarters for his involvement in the homicide. After the police interview, Trejo was charged with murder along with failure to appear on third-degree assault charges.

Trejo was identified as a person of interest early on in APD’s investigation. A warrant was issued for Trejo Wednesday, court records say.

On Tuesday, APD sent out an updated release on the investigation and reiterated that they wanted Trejo for questioning. In the statement, police also said they were looking for witnesses who were spotted in a dark-blue sedan with tinted windows who were reportedly in the Carrs parking lot at the time of the shooting.

An Anchorage plastic surgeon was found guilty of wire fraud and tax evasion after prosecutors say he hid millions of dollars from his then-wife in Central America.

A federal jury in Anchorage convicted 67-year-old Michael Brandner with four counts of wire fraud and three counts of tax evasion Wednesday.

After his wife filed for a divorce in 2007, Brandner collected millions in marital assets. In Costa Rica, he opened two bank accounts, deposited more than $350,000 in cash and hid 1,000 ounces of gold in a safe deposit box. Then, Brandner went to Panama, where the doctor created an account under the name of a fake corporation and deposited $4.6 million, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska.

Brandner covered up the existence of the accounts — and the interest he earned — from the court in divorce proceedings and from the Internal Revenue Service, prosecutors say. For the 2008 to 2010 tax years, he owed the IRS an additional $600,000 in taxes.

In 2011 — once the divorce was final — Brandner brought the money back to the US. Federal agents, however, seized the funds. Brandner then lied to authorities about his control of the funds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.

“Let this case serve as a warning that the use of offshore schemes and other tax scams to evade tax and other lawful obligations will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent Teri Alexander.

Brandner faces up to 95 years in prison and a fine up to $1.75 million.

An Anchorage man was found guilty of first-degree attempted murder in Alaska Superior Court Thursday, along with charges of third-degree assault and misconduct involving a weapon.

The verdict was handed down after the six-day trial of 23-year-old Oscar Fabela Villa II, according to a statement from Assistant District Attorney James Klugman. During the trial, jurors were told the events that unfolded between Villa, his sister and her boyfriend in June 2014.

Villa escaped from a halfway house following his bail release in an unrelated criminal case, Klugman stated. He contacted his sister and her boyfriend, and on June 29, the boyfriend threatened to contact police for disputed debit card charges. Villa allegedly replied that he would “put a bullet in” him.

Later that evening, Villa reportedly showed up at the apartment where his sister’s boyfriend lived. After trying to talk the boyfriend into coming outside, Villa fired three rounds into the window where the boyfriend had been standing during the conversation, according to Klugman.

Neither the boyfriend or another person in the residence were injured during the shooting.

Villa was later arrested in October 2014, Klugman wrote. He faces a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison. He is currently being held without bail until his sentencing, which is scheduled for March of 2016.

Young Chul Kim’s driver’s license photo
Photo: Anchorage Police Department

ANCHORAGE — The Anchorage Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a 58-year-old man wanted for a 2013 sexual assault. They say he may also be involved in a more recent assault last week.

Young Chul Kim, also known as James Kim, is wanted on a felony warrant stemming from an August 2013 sexual assault case, according to police. Police were told Kim left the Anchorage-area after the assault took place.

Surveillance footage gathered after a non-sexual physical assault last week in Anchorage shows Kim at the scene, according to police.

Young Chul Kim following last week’s assault
Photo: Anchorage Police Department

“As you can see, Kim has changed his appearance by growing a mustache and having longer hair,” APD spokeswoman Renee Oistad said in a statement. “He was also wearing grungy clothing, which made him appear to be homeless.”

Kim is 5-feet-7-inches tall, weighs roughly 170 pounds and has black hair and dark brown eyes.

Anyone with information on Kim’s where abouts is asked to call APD at 786-8900.

Photo of Aaron Fedolfi in his police uniform standing next to a Bethel Police Department vehicle

This story originates from KYUK Public Media and was published with permission

BETHEL – A former Bethel Police officer has been charged with attempted sexual assault, according to press release from the Attorney General’s office Thursday.

The Office of Special Prosecutions is charging former Police Officer Aaron Fedolfi, 23, with one count of third degree attempted sexual assault by a police officer and one count of third degree official misconduct.

Fedolfi is currently at-large and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Fedolfi attempted to sexually assault a person while the individual was in his custody, according to the press release.

In early September, Fedolfi stopped a woman walking down Ridgecrest Drive, according to charging documents. He took her to an area near the Bethel dog pound and attempted to force her to perform oral sex on him.

The woman “told Fedolfi to stop, and asked if he had ‘done this before’ at which point Fedolfi took his hands off her head,” according to charging documents.

The woman was able to run away and eventually reported the crime to the Alaska State Troopers. Fedolfi was one of two officers on duty that night.

After the incident was reported, Fedolfi was placed on administrative leave, according to a BPD press release Thursday evening. While on leave, Fedolfi notified the city of his resignation.

“Since that time the City has had no contact with Mr. Fedolfi other than to process his final paycheck,” according to the release.

A subsequent investigation revealed footage from Fili’s Pizza, a local pizzeria in town. The footage shows that in the early morning of Sept. 12, a BPD vehicle pulled over and stopped near a pedestrian. The pedestrian got in the vehicle and then the car headed in the general direction of the dog pound.

In an initial interview with investigators, Fedolfi said the victim was lying. But when pressed in a second interview, his story changed.

“Feldolfi claimed he had forgotten to tell troopers that he had picked up an intoxicated male,” according to the documents. However, when the interviewer told Fedolfi he had video footage, his story changed again. The video clearly showed the woman getting into his police vehicle.

Fedolfi claimed the woman had been sexual provocative toward him. Fedolfi said he’d lied to investigators about being in contact with her. He denied any sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, saying he sped away from the area so people wouldn’t see her in his car.

He says he later forcibly removed the woman from his vehicle, after she refused to get out. Fedolfi couldn’t explain to the investigator why he hadn’t followed BPD protocol–he didn’t record his interaction with the woman on his personal body camera or over the radio with police dispatch.

“Fedolfi is presumed innocent of these charges unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to the press release.

Police say anyone with information about Fedolfi’s whereabouts should contact the Alaska Bureau of Investigation at (907) 269-5611.

Clarification: The report was made to the Alaska State Troopers

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect information from the Bethel Police Department’s press release and quotes from the charging documents. 

Courtesy APD

ANCHORAGE – Anchorage police are asking the public for help locating the suspect in a felony assault who was last seen by authorities in handcuffs.

Shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, the Anchorage Police Department tried to take Armando “Tony” Walker into custody at a home on the 2400 block of West 34th Avenue. The 26-year-old had a warrant for his arrest, according to a statement from APD spokesperson Jennifer Castro.

“While attempting to take Walker into custody, he fled from officers on foot,” Castro wrote.

Walker was last seen running west on 34th Avenue and Iowa Street toward a bike path, the police spokesperson said.

Walker is described as 6-foot-4-inches and about 220 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Castro said he was last seen wearing a black shirt, jeans and “was handcuffed behind his back.”

APD asks anyone with information to contact the department.

On Thursday, a 21-year-old man accused of shooting two teenagers in a downtown Anchorage residence was indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges, including attempted murder.

Beier faces two counts of first-degree attempted murder, four counts of first-degree assault and a single count each of tampering with physical evidence and failing to stop at the direction of a peace officer, according to a statement from Assistant District Attorney Christina Sherman.

Christian Beier was arrested Oct. 24 after an hours-long manhunt in the Mountain View area, after police determined he was the suspect in a shooting the night before that sent two teens to the hospital with serious injuries. Conor Lally, 17, and 19-year-old Caia Delavergne both survived the shooting.

The incident was first reported when Delavergne was found walking down N Street with a bloody towel clutched to her head. She directed police to a home on the same street, where police encountered Lally, who collapsed on the front porch with multiple gunshot wounds.

Delavergne told police Beier had been with the pair at the home earlier in the day, but was asked to leave. He came back later and reportedly shot Lally in the torso and the head, and then attacked Delavergne, who didn’t initially realize she’d been shot. She jumped out of a second-story window to escape.

If convicted, Beier faces up to 99 years in prison for the attempted murder charges, according to Sherman.

25-year-old Gilbert Nashookpuk at arraignment

The Anchorage Police Department have arrested a man for killing his caretaker sometime in the overnight hours between Friday and Saturday.

Just after midnight on Saturday, police received a call from Gilbert Nashookpuk, “who stated he had killed a woman in an assisted living facility where he has been staying,” according to an APD release.

The assisted living facility is located on the 6800 block of Viburnum Drive.

“Nashookpuk stated his female caretaker, 57-year-old Glenna Wyllie, had made him angry so he strangled, kicked, and punched her to death,” the release continues. “Nashookpuk stated he hid Wyllie’s body behind the freezer in the basement, and then left the area on foot.”

Police were able to apprehend Nashookpuk, 25, at the corner of E. 88th Avenue and Swiss Place. Police say the suspect told them the crime occurred two hours before he called authorities.

When APD arrived at the assisted living facility, they found a dead female inside the home where Nashookpuk told them it would be. There were other residents in the assisted living home at the time of the reported homicide, but police say they were uninjured.

Nashookpuk has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder. He was arraigned Saturday afternoon. Charging documents reveal Nashookpuk has had run-ins with the law before, including being charged with second-degree sexual assault in 2011 and fourth-degree assault earlier this year.

APD detectives and crime scene investigators could be seen continuing their review of the incident late into Saturday morning.

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

Aaron Fedolfi in Anchorage Jail Court

Updated Thursday, Nov. 12 at 11:40 a.m.

Former Bethel police officer, Aaron Fedolfi, 23, who was wanted by authorities on a charge of attempted sexual assault while on duty, turned himself in to police Tuesday “without incident,” according to Anchorage Police Department spokesperson, Renee Oistad.

Fedolfi reached out to police Tuesday and “stated he was prepared to turn himself in.” He then met officers at the Dimond Center parking lot at 6:21 p.m. and was taken into custody.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Anchorage Thursday afternoon.

Original Story:

A former Bethel police officer charged with attempted sexual assault while on duty appeared in Anchorage court Wednesday following his arrest.

Aaron Fedolfi, 23, faces charges of third-degree sexual assault and official misconduct, stemming from an incident that occurred on Sept. 12.

Fedolfi allegedly took a woman in his custody to an area near the Bethel dog pound and attempted to force her to perform a sexual act on him, according to charging documents. She refused and ran away, reporting the incident to Alaska State Troopers.

During his interviews with troopers, Fedolfi initially denied picking the victim up on the night in question, saying he picked up an intoxicated male to give him a ride. He eventually admitted to driving her to the pound after being shown footage from a local pizzeria that “clearly showed the victim” getting into his vehicle.

The Bethel Police Department put Fedolfi on administrative leave during troopers’ initial investigation, during which time Fedolfi reportedly resigned, KYUK reported. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was considered “at large” following his resignation.

Fedolfi’s arraignment was scheduled for Thursday. He is being held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.

KTVA’s Daniella Rivera contributed to this report. 

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated Aaron Fedolfi had been arraigned Wednesday. This has been corrected.

Daniel Lloyd Selovich

Hamilton County Sheriff's Office

Updated Nov. 12, at 3:40 p.m.

A 37-year-old man was arrested on kidnapping and assault charges after he allegedly held a woman against her will at a remote cabin for five weeks.

Daniel L. Selovich, 37, of Manley Hot Springs, was charged with kidnapping, two counts of fourth-degree assault, one count of third-degree assault and two counts of first-degree sexual assault.

On Nov. 7 around 11:30 a.m., troopers said they received a report of a “seriously ill” woman who needed to be taken to a hospital from a cabin located about 16 miles south of Manley Hot Springs. A friend of the victim called troopers, according to AST spokesperson Beth Ipsen.

Charging documents stated the friend was contacted by the victim via Facebook Messenger. The victim told her friend she “was having pains in her chest and thought she had pneumonia.”

Troopers and the Rescue Coordination Center tried to send a military helicopter and crew to the remote cabin, but the response was delayed because of poor weather, according to troopers.

The next day around 9:30 a.m., the helicopter crew was able to get to the cabin and took the woman and Selovich to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

Troopers said they went to the hospital and determined the woman was a victim of domestic violence-related assaults for more than a month — from Sept. 26 to Nov. 7. Troopers saw bruises on her arms and head a laceration on the right side of her neck.

During her discussion with troopers, the victim stated Selovich picked her up from the Fairbanks International Airport in a U-Haul van on Sept. 26. He first sexually assaulted her inside the van a few hours later. She and Selovich stayed at a Fairbanks hotel and had sexual intercourse, which troopers noted she “did not tell Daniel no or stop,” according to court records.

The two flew to his cabin on Oct. 1.

“He reportedly subjected the woman to many sexually assaults, and assaulted her several times causing non-life-threatening injuries,” the dispatch says.

Court documents showed Selovich “sexually assaulted her at the minimum two times each day to the maximum six times each day,” according to the victim.

The victim claimed Selovich duct-taped himself to her in order to prevent her from running away, court records show. He would also tie a rope that was anchored to a roof support around her neck and bind her hands together.

“[She] stated she thought it would be better for her to run from the cabin and possibly be eaten by a bear [than] continue being physically and sexually assaulted by [Selovich],” a trooper affidavit said.

Selovich was also hospitalized in Fairbanks before being remanded to the Fairbanks Correctional Center, troopers say.

Criminal Past

Online records show someone matching Selovich’s full name and date of birth has a criminal record spanning at least four other states.

In 2008, a warrant for Selovich’s arrest was issued by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office in Tennessee, under the charge of vandalism/malicious mischief.

In 2009, Selovich was reportedly arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault in Benton County, according to the Tri-City Herald. He was convicted and sentenced to 365 days in jail with 360 suspended and a fine of $450.

In 2010, arrest records show Selovich was arrested in Shasta, Calif., for “rape by force/fear” and assault with a deadly weapon. The Record Searchlight, a Redding, Calif. news organization, reported the charges stemmed from a 2004 case where the victim reported he “bit and repeatedly slapped her” during the assault.

 –This is a developing story. 

A home invasion was cut short when a gun-wielding homeowner fired shots at suspects, authorities say.

Just after 8 a.m. Friday, the Anchorage Police Department said they responded to a home on the 1000 block of Essex Circle — located near Minnesota Drive and West International Airport Road — for an attempted home invasion.

“Suspects approached the home, and when the door was opened, one of the suspects pepper-sprayed the homeowner,” said APD spokesperson Renee Oistad in a statement.

In response, Oistad said, the homeowner fired “several shots” with a handgun he had with him when he answered the door. The suspects then left in a vehicle. Besides being pepper-sprayed, the homeowner was not harmed.

Nearly an hour later at 8:46 a.m., Anchorage police were told that a male with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his backside had gone to a local hospital, Oistad wrote, adding that APD is trying to find out if the man was involved in the Essex Circle encounter.

Because of conflicting witness statements, Oistad said, police do not have an exact number of suspects involved, physical descriptions or details on the type of vehicle they left in.

When asked via email if she believed the attempted home invasion was random or targeted, Oistad said: “The investigation is still on-going and we are not prepared to release any more information at this time.”

An Anchorage woman was arrested Thursday evening after her attempt to rob a Spenard smoke shop with a gun and a large hunting knife was thwarted by the store owner.

Tonya Holler, 33, entered Smokes 4 Less, located at 3020 Minnesota Dr., around 7:21 p.m. Thursday, browsed the store and pulled out a handgun, Renee Oistad with the Anchorage Police Department wrote in an online alert.

Holler then “demanded that the owner of the shop give her the money in the cash drawer,” according to Oistad. The owner, Young Jun, initially listened to demands and stepped back, giving Holler access to the cash register.

As the thief emptied the register, Jun grabbed the gun, Oistad wrote, eventually taking it and tossing it onto the storeroom floor. During the struggle, Holler pulled out a “large hunting-style knife.” Jun was able to gain control of this weapon and also tossed it onto the storeroom floor.

While Jun was struggling with Holler, she activated a panic button and continuously yelled for help, according to Oistad. She was able to pin Holler against the store’s countertop. A young man leaving a nearby restaurant ran into the shop to assist Jun in holding Holler until authorities arrived.

According to police, Holler was wanted on separate felony warrants for robbing two Spenard area coffee stands, the Kodiak Cup and Aftershock Espresso. She confessed to robbing both when police questioned her. She stated “she did not have a drug problem but was doing the robberies to pay for rent,” according to a police affidavit.

She said the gun used in the robbery was “not real,” and acknowledged the victims did not know that, but admitted to trying to stab Jun during the robbery with a knife.

She was taken into custody and charged with one count of first-degree robbery and two counts of third-degree associated with Thursday’s robbery attempt.

Anchorage police say an hours-long standoff in Mountain View ended with the arrest of a man who reportedly violated a domestic violence protective order.

Saturday night, the Anchorage Police Department responded to a report that a man had assaulted a female at an apartment, located on the 4600 block of Thompson Avenue.

“Following the incident, the suspect had entered the apartment and refused to leave,” a release from the Anchorage Police Department says. “It was also reported that he was armed and that he was the sole occupant inside the residence at the time he entered the home.”

APD negotiators, SWAT and other officers responded and attempted to make contact with the man, while nearby apartments were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

“After multiple attempts to have the suspect surrender peacefully to police, gas was deployed inside the residence,” the APD release says. “Following deployment, the suspect came out of the residence and surrendered to police.”

The suspect, identified by APD as 26-year-old Iese Gali Jr., was arrested and charged with burglary, third-degree assault, violating a domestic violence protective order and resisting arrest. Police say Gali was also wanted on prior felony arrest warrants.

A double murder investigation is underway after a male caller reported finding two people dead inside a Juneau home Sunday, police say.

The deceased were found in a home on the 2700 block of Roger Street, according to the Juneau Police Department. The call came in at 12:21 p.m.

JPD Lt. David Campbell says the two victims have been identified as 34-year-old Juneau woman Elizabeth K. Tonsmeire and 36-year-old Juneau man Robert H. Meireis.

“The investigation revealed that both Tonsmeire and Meireis were shot and the case is being investigated as a double murder,” he said in a press release.

Next of kin for both Tonsmeire and Meireis have been notified.

No suspect, or suspects, has been identified.

Juneau police ask anyone with information about this case to contact the department immediately. The investigation is ongoing.

A Nikiski man was arrested after he falsely told authorities his pregnant girlfriend was in labor when he was caught driving with a revoked operator’s license, Alaska State Troopers say.

Shortly after midnight Friday, troopers said they pulled over a gold 1999 GMC Jimmy on the Kenai Spur Highway at Malaitna Avenue in Nikiski for a moving violation.

Troopers said they then learned the driver – 38-year-old Ronald M. Finch — was driving with a revoked operator’s license, according to an online dispatch from AST. Finch was the only person in the SUV and said he was driving because “his girlfriend was in labor and it was an emergency.”

“Nikiski Fire Department responded to the residence and investigation revealed the girlfriend was not in labor and not currently in need of any medical attention,” the dispatch says.

Finch was then arrested and taken to the Wildwood Pretrial Facility. He was remanded for driving with a revoked license, making a false report and driving in violation of a limited operator’s license because the SUV did not have an interlock ignition device, troopers wrote.

Finch was held on $1,500 bail, and the uninsured Jimmy was impounded.

An employee at an Anchorage Costco was able to subdue an armed man in the store on Wednesday.

Anchorage police were dispatched to the Debarr Road Costco at 12:38 p.m. after receiving reports of a customer with a gun, according to a statement from police.

Thomas Schultz Jr, 29, was allegedly attempting to steal store merchandise by hiding it in a box in the Debarr Road Costco when he was confronted by an employee. Schultz attempted to run away but was stopped by another employee and a “scuffle ensued,” police wrote.

Schultz reportedly pulled a gun out and struck one of the employee’s in the head. That employee managed to take the gun away from Schultz. They and other employees surrounded Schultz until police could arrive and take him into custody.

One staff member said employees are trained to handle such circumstances.

The employee Schultz hit suffered a “minor abrasion,” while Schultz reportedly got a “bump on the head” during the scuffle with employees, police said.

Schultz has been charged with third-degree theft, third-degree assault and third-degree misconduct involving a weapon, all of which are felony charges. He was taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex to be held on a bail of $10,000 cash corporate and $2,500 cash only.

A male and a female who were with Schultz before the initial confrontation fled the scene. Their identities are unknown at this time, according to police.

A mail carrier at the Muldoon post office in Anchorage is accused of stealing patient-bound prescription drugs from 2013 to 2015.

Brandon Gruendler allegedly stole the prescription drugs over a roughly two-year period — between October 2013 and mid-January, according to federal information filed Tuesday. He is charged with one count of mail theft.

As a mail carrier, Gruendler was responsible for handling different kinds of mail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska. He had access to the mail through his employee badge.

“The removal of these prescription drugs from the mail thus deprived the individual patients of the medications that had been prescribed for their needs and that they were waiting to receive in the mail,” charges say.

Gruendler was placed on administrative leave without pay until the final disposition of the investigation, according to USPS spokesman Ernie Swanson.

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

An unidentified suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a 56-year-old man on Shuyak Island.

Alaska State Troopers were contacted on Tuesday and asked to do a welfare check at the Port William Wilderness Lodge. Kodiak troopers found the victim dead outside a bunkhouse, according to an online dispatch. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation also responded to the scene and determined the victim had been shot.

A suspect was identified and troopers’ investigation revealed he had left Shuyak Island and traveled to Anchorage. The Anchorage Police Department was notified and found him on the 1000 block of Hoyt Street, according to APD spokeswoman Renee Oistad. He was arrested without incident at 1:07 a.m. on unrelated warrants.

AST spokeswoman Megan Peters said the suspect will not be identified until he is formally charged in this case. Troopers did note, however, that he is serving time without bail for a charge of failure to remand to jail in another case.

The Alaska State Medical Examiner’s office will take custody of the body and perform an autopsy, according to troopers. “Efforts to locate his next of kin are underway,” according to troopers.