Alaska State Troopers are looking for a man involved in a violent traffic stop on New Year’s Eve in Wasilla.

Around 7: 15 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, troopers pulled over a 2002 Saturn for equipment violation at on Cooper Creek Road in Wasilla.

According to the online trooper dispatch, the investigating officer witnessed a passenger in the car, 27-year-old Geoffery Hansen of Palmer, attempting to swallow drug paraphernalia.

Troopers wrote, “Hansen failed to comply with the Trooper’s verbal commands and forcefully resisted arrest, injuring the trooper.”

Hansen was arrested for fourth-degree assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Another passenger, Willie Boepple, 25, of Wasilla, gave troopers a false name during the traffic stop. He was on probation for prior misconduct involving controlled substances and has an outstanding $5000 felony warrant out for his arrest.

Troopers found that the driver, 23-year-old David Buben of Wasilla, tried to help keep Boepple’s identity from investigators.

Investigators later arrested Buben at his home on January 3, and charged him with first-degree hindering prosecution.

“Further investigation revealed that Buben had recently been arrested for misconduct involving a controlled substance in the 4th degree and was subject to conditions of release,” troopers wrote. ”Buben was in violation of those conditions and was additionally charged with violating conditions of release.”

Buben and Hansen are both being held at Mat-Su Pretrial facility.

Troopers are still searching for Willie Boepple and anyone with information about his location is asked to contact Alaska State Troopers at 352-5401 or make an anonymous tip at 745-3333.

Myles David Hoeger

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Anchorage

Image from bank security footage showing suspect

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Anchorage

Image from bank security footage showing suspect

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Anchorage

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says they have identified the man seen in surveillance footage from the bank he allegedly robbed last week.

The Anchorage FBI office named 24-year-old Myles David Hoeger as a suspect in the Dec. 30 robbery of the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union on Debarr Road.

In a statement, the FBI said Hoeger is an Anchorage resident.

The same branch was also robbed on Nov. 6 of this year. The suspect in that robbery has not been caught, according to FBI spokesperson Staci Feger-Pellessier.

Anyone with information on Hoeger’s whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 276-4441.

Two Anchorage elementary schools will start off the new year with some pretty big repair bills. Police say vandals did thousands of dollars worth of damage to the schools over the winter break.

Vandals smashed nearly a dozen windows in several portable buildings at both Taku Elementary and Rabbit Creek Elementary schools. Rabbit Creek principal Greg Balcao said the damage was discovered by a teacher at about noon on Sunday. He believes it happened Saturday night.

But Kelly Ramey, the principal at Taku, said she knows exactly when it happened because the incident was caught on video by the school’s security cameras.

Source: Anchorage School District

The tape shows two boys who appear to be in their early teens standing by the portable buildings to the rear of the school. One seems reluctant as the other boy begins to smash the windows with what looks like a stick or small bat. The boys leave the scene but return a short time later. This time both boys participate in breaking more windows. The time is some time after midnight on Friday, New Year’s Day.

Ramey said that brings up the question of why young people are running around at night unsupervised.

“That early in the morning it means you don’t know where your kids are,” Ramey said. “Parents, we need you to know where your kids are, especially at twelve or two or four in the morning.”

Police said it will cost over $7,000 to replace the windows at both schools. They’re asking anyone who knows more about what happened to come forward. APD can be reached by calling 786-8900.

Aaron Fedolfi in Anchorage Jail Court

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

BETHEL — Former Bethel police officer Aaron Fedolfi went before a Bethel Judge Tuesday morning for a court appearance.

Fedolfi faces charges of third-degree attempted sexual assault by a police officer, and one count of third degree official misconduct following an alleged incident last year in September while Fedolfi was on duty.

Fedolfi’s attorney, James Christie, a defense attorney out of Anchorage, spoke on behalf of Fedolfi via telephone.

Christie said they were still in negotiations with the prosecuting attorney. Adam Alexander, the state prosecutor, stated it might take a month to negotiate a settlement.

Fedolfi attended telephonically. He posted bail in late November. He is currently staying at a hotel in Anchorage under house arrest following the bail agreement.

Fedolfi is due for another court appearance on February 2nd at 9:30am. With no anticipated trial date before February 9th.

Home where the homicide occurred

Carolyn Hall / KTVA 11 News

Home where the homicide occurred

Carolyn Hall / KTVA 11 News

Update at 10 p.m. on Jan.5 

The Anchorage Police Department is investigating an apparent double homicide in South Anchorage.

Police were contacted by a man who said he found someone dead in his home. APD responded to a home on the 3600 block of Spinnaker Drive just before 7 p.m. and found two female victims — one at the bottom of the stairs and the other upstairs.

One victim was in her late teens to early 20s, according to Daily, while the other is in her late 40s, according to APD Officer John Daily.

Daily said police were investigating the homicides as “a domestic violence” incident, as the victims were related. He said the man who called 911 lived at the home and was the younger victim’s father. He also stated police believed the victims were mother and daughter.

No suspects have been charged, Daily said.

APD spokeswoman Jennifer Castro confirmed a silver 2001 Chevrolet pickup truck police were looking for earlier Tuesday was connected to the homicide. Daily said it belonged to one of the victims. He said police, with the assistance of Alaska State Troopers, found it shortly after sending out a statement asking for the public’s help in locating the vehicle.

Homicide detectives and the Crime Scene Team are at the scene investigating.

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

For updates from the field, follow KTVA 11′s Daniella Rivera and Carolyn Hall on Twitter. 

Updated at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 6

A man accused of breaking two other men out of the Pilot Station jail on Tuesday was apprehended by community members, Alaska State Troopers say.

Dale Fancyboy, 22, showed up at the jail around 11:30 p.m., armed with a shotgun, troopers wrote in an online dispatch. Fancyboy threatened an unarmed emergency jail guard with the gun, and helped two men — 19-year-old Thomas Heckman and 22-year-old Dion Joseph — escape their cells. The three men then fled the jail, and on their way out, Fancyboy threatened two Village Police Officers who had just arrived.

“Fancyboy has since been taken into custody by community members and housed at the local jail,” troopers wrote.

Heckman and Joseph have also been taken back into custody, according to AST spokeswoman Megan Peters. Joseph was being held at the jail on multiple outstanding warrants, including two for previous escapes from the same jail.

“Both of Joseph’s previous escapes occurred when he was not secured at the jail and he ran away. No firearms were involved in those,” Peters said in an email.

Heckman was in custody for allegedly helping Joseph in a case involving theft, burglary and assault.

Troopers are continuing their investigation.

The village of Pilot Station is located along the Yukon River in western Alaska, northwest of Bethel.

Reality TV host Theresa Vail - Courtesy The Outdoor Channel

A former beauty queen who hosted an adventure TV show has pleaded guilty to killing an Alaska grizzly bear without a state tag.

The sentence for Theresa Vail, issued Wednesday, includes one year probation and a $750 fine.

A charging document says Vail, on a guided hunt, held a single bear tag and shot a bear. When she attempted to kill it with a second shot, it says, she killed a second bear.

It says the master guide was contacted and a collective decision was made to fly out another tag, which Vail said she signed but backdated at the master guide’s request.

Vail hosted the Outdoor Channel series “Limitless with Theresa Vail.”

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Kotzebue authorities arrested a woman attempting to import more than 20 liters of alcohol into Ambler, which bans the sale an importation of alcohol.

The Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team in Kotzebue intercepted the woman on Tuesday on her way to Ambler by plane.

She was found with 22.75 liter of alcohol and roughly two ounces of marijuana, which officials seized, according to an online Alaska State Trooper dispatch.

WAANT forwarded charges of fifth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance and felony alcohol importation to the Office of Special Prosecution and Appeals.

Eric Ruble / KTVA 11

Eric Ruble / KTVA 11

Two fast food restaurants on Muldoon Road were robbed at gunpoint Saturday morning, police confirmed.

The Anchorage Police Department said the first robbery was reported at the McDonald’s near the Glenn Highway at 10:26 a.m. Less than 20 minutes later, the second robbery was reported at the nearby Arby’s.

No one was injured during either robbery at either restaurant, but employees at Arby’s reported being forced into the freezer by the gunman.

The Arby’s manager said that as of 1 p.m., the suspect had not been apprehended. Police would not immediately comment on whether the two robberies were related.

KTVA 11′s Eric Ruble contributed to this report. 

Police are looking for a man they say stole almost $10,000 worth of jewelry from the Fred Meyer at the corner of Debarr Road and Muldoon Road.

On Wednesday night, a man entered the Fred Meyer jewelry store and asked the employee to “show him some rings,” according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department.

“Minutes into the viewing, the man grabbed a box containing four rings and ran from the store,” the release says.

APD is looking for a clean-shaven white or hispanic male in his 20s with a thin build. The suspect was wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, grey pants and a dark colored hat with a red and blue design on the bill, police say. The man is believed to have entered the store with a female (seen in the photo above), but it is unknown whether they knew each other.

Anyone with information is asked to call APD at 786-8900 or submit a tip anonymously at www.anchoragecrimestoppers.com.

Mark Benton

Alaska State Troopers

Alaska State Troopers are looking for a Kodiak man accused of assault and kidnapping.

Troopers were contacted by one of the victims Friday evening after the alleged attack occurred, according to AST spokeswoman Megan Peters.

“The allegations are that [Mark] Benton assaulted a person and threatened them with a gun. Following that, he forced a  person he was in a relationship with into a vehicle, tried to prevent them from leaving and assaulted them,” she said in an email.

Peters said the victim Benton attempted to kidnap managed to escape and run to a nearby home to call 911. The 49-year old suspect was not at the scene when troopers arrived.

Troopers forwarded multiple charges to the District Attorney’s office for consideration, including second-, third- and fourth-degree assault, kidnapping, third-degree misconduct involving a weapon and violating conditions of release.

A $50,000 warrant for Benton’s arrest has been issued. Troopers are asking anyone who may know Benton’s whereabouts to call Kodiak AST at 907-486-4121 or CrimeStoppers at 907-486-3113.

Courtesy the Discovery Channel

A judge has sentenced two members of the family featured on the reality TV show “Alaskan Bush People” to 30 days in jail after they were accused of applying for checks from Alaska’s oil wealth fund even though they weren’t entitled.

Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg imposed the sentence Monday for 63-year-old Billy Brown and one of Brown’s sons, Joshua.

Both pleaded guilty to unsworn falsification. Their sentences also include restitution, community service and probation, and neither will be eligible for future Alaska Permanent Fund dividends.

The state plans to dismiss charges against other members of the family.

Billy Brown’s attorney, James McGowan, asked the judge to take Brown’s health into account, saying Brown suffers from a seizure disorder, among other things. He said there was no need to incarcerate Brown, but the judge wasn’t swayed.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

A woman charged with running an Anchorage-based prostitution ring changed her plea to guilty Monday afternoon as part of a plea deal.

“[Heidi] Ross pled guilty to a felony count of sex trafficking in the third degree and took responsibility for her actions that aided or facilitated the prostitution enterprise,” Assistant Attorney General Adam Alexander said in an email after the hearing.

Ross, 35, and her 47-year-old boyfriend Troy Edward Williams were indicted in March of 2015 for forcing their victims to engage in prostitution. They allegedly beat the women and deprived them of “food and other necessities” if the they did not make enough money for the couple, according to the Alaska Department of Law.

“At sentencing, Ms. Ross will likely receive a sentence of four years with two years suspended and a period of supervised probation of three years, based in part on her prior criminal history,” Alexander said. “The court ordered a full pre-sentence report today, and the sentencing judge will have that information to aid in sentencing in May.”

Ross has pleaded guilty in two unrelated prostitution cases, according to online records, and has other convictions relating to theft and drugs.

Williams’ trial is scheduled to begin in February.

Anchorage police are responding to a report of a robbery at Money Mart, located at 6311 Debarr Rd.

APD sent out an announcement of the robbery just after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

APD says there are no known injuries at this time but have noted there is a heavy police in the area.

An employee at the scene told KTVA shots were fired, but no money was taken. The employees went into the safe room until police arrived.

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

Courtesy Anchorage Police

Courtesy Anchorage Police

Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating a suspect who they believe is responsible for stealing copper wire and gas from an Anchorage warehouse.

The suspect, according to police, allegedly stole ”a large amount of refrigerator cable” from a truck parked at the Nestle Warehouse on Arctic Spur Rd. sometime around 12 a.m. Tuesday.

Police also believe the same suspect stole gasoline from trucks parked at the facility in December, according to a release sent out Tuesday.

“During each incident, the male was seen arriving on a bicycle with an attached trailer,” police wrote in the release.

Police describe the suspect as a 6-foot-tall white male, about 180 pounds. If you have any information, you are asked to call APD at 786-8900 or Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP.

Courtesy Anchorage Police

An Anchorage man serving time for unrelated crimes now faces charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

Steven Ridenour, 44, was formally charged on Tuesday in connection with the death of 56-year-old Steven McCaulley, who was found dead at a wilderness lodge on Shuyak Island in November. Troopers determined a gunshot wound was the cause of his death.

A day after McCaulley was found, Anchorage police arrested Ridenour on misdemeanor warrants, including failure to remand to jail, which meant he was not allowed to post bail. Troopers had considered Ridenour a suspect, but did not charge him with the homicide at the time of his arrest.

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

A Wasilla man was sentenced in court on Friday for defrauding 38 people out of roughly $8,000 by pretending to be associated with a non-existent flight service.

Superior Court Judge Michael Corey sentenced 48-year-old Kenneth Jenks to serve four years for second-degree theft and pay restitution to the victims, amounting to $8,017, according to court records.

Alaska State Troopers arrested Jenks in August after a months-long investigation into a Mat-Su Valley scam revealed Jenks “had been contacting local businesses and small business owners, pretending to be associated with a fictitious flight service,” known as “Alaska Adventures Air Service,” according to an online trooper dispatch. Jenks used different aliases to “borrow” money for various reasons.

Jenks was originally charged with theft and scheming to defraud more than five victims. He changed his original plea to guilty the same day as his sentencing as part of a plea deal.

Troopers said “Jenks has a known history of forgeries and thefts in his past,” dating back to at least 2003.

A Holy Cross man was arrested Tuesday after beating a woman for four hours, an online Alaska State Trooper dispatch says.

Troopers were called to the Western Alaska village around 1:20 p.m. after receiving a report of a domestic dispute involving a drunk man. Their investigation revealed 24-year-old Kyle Anthony beat a woman, identified by AST as his girlfriend, “over the course of four hours,” according to the dispatch.

Authorities were alerted to the incident when the health aid contacted troopers after the victim sought treatment, AST spokeswoman Megan Peters said in an email.

Anthony strangled the woman “seven to eight times repeatedly,” and punched and kicked her in the face. He also allegedly jumped “up and down” on her back, bit her, and even broke a cup and broom over her head.

Troopers arrested Anthony on two counts each of first- and third-degree assault. He was taken to the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center and is awaiting arraignment.

The woman was treated at the local clinic for non-life-threatening injuries, Peters said.

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

Police say a man fled with a few hundred dollars after robbing the Chevron, located at 5210 Old Seward Highway.

The Anchorage Police Department received a call just after 1:20 a.m. Friday that a man with a gun entered the store and demanded cash, then ran from the Chevron with the money.

When police arrived, they set up a perimeter and searched the area but did not locate the robbery suspect.

Police say the suspect’s face was concealed during the robbery, but witnesses described him as “possibly an Asian male.” He is believed to be about 5’4” and weighs 170 lbs. He was wearing khakis and a hoodie, APD says.

No injuries were reported in the robbery, police say.

Anyone with information on this incident  is asked to contact police at 786-8900 or to provide an anonymous tip, please contact Anchorage Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP.

Alaska State Troopers say a man has been arrested for allegedly shooting a man in the head and threatening a woman on Saturday.

Palmer troopers were first notified of the incident at 1:40 p.m. at a home on the Old Glenn Highway near Palmer, an online dispatch said. The caller reported that someone had shot a 35-year-old man in the head before fleeing the home in a vehicle.

Medical personnel responded to the scene alongside troopers and transported the male victim, who troopers said was in “critical but stable condition.”

A woman in the home was also threatened by the suspect, according to troopers.

A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle matching the description of the one the suspect fled in, and inside the vehicle was 18-year-old Michael Armstrong, who was identified as the shooter, troopers said.

“AST recovered the rifle reported to have been used in the shooting from the woods, where Michael hid it after the shooting,” according to the dispatch.

The Palmer Alaska Bureau of Investigation took over the case and charged Armstrong with first-degree attempted murder, first- and third-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence. He is being held at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility without bail.

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