Anchorage police are asking for help to find a man suspected of stealing a 43-inch TV from Wal-Mart on Monday.

Officers responded to a report of a robbery just before 7 a.m. at the Wal-Mart on Debarr Road, according to a release from Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Castro.

Police were told a man carried a 43-inch LED TV out of the store with the alarm still attached. The store manager confronted the man, asking to see his receipt. The man then pulled out a large pair of scissors and threatened the manager with them, according to APD.

The man fled the store with the television and an immediate police search of the area didn’t result in any arrests.

APD described as a black male, between 6’1” to 6’4” with an athletic build and a short beard. He was described as wearing a gray sweater, black pants, a red hat with ear flaps and black glasses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Anchorage police at 786-8500. To provide an anonymous Crime Tip, contact Anchorage Crimestoppers at 561-STOP or go to www.anchoragecrimestoppers.com

A former Alaska Airlines pilot has pleaded not guilty to flying a jetliner while drunk.

City News Service says David Arntson entered a plea Tuesday in Los Angeles to a federal charge of operating a passenger plane while under the influence. He’s free on bond and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors say the 60-year-old Newport Beach, California, man was legally under the influence when he piloted two Alaska Airlines flights in 2014. One plane flew from San Diego to Portland, Oregon, and the other from Portland to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California.

Authorities say tests after the flight indicated Arntson’s blood-alcohol level was well above the legal limit of 0.10 percent.

He was removed from what the airline called safety-sensitive duties and then retired.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Indoor marijuana grow operation discovered by Homer police

Homer Police Department

The building where the grow operation was discovered

Homer Police Department

Indoor marijuana grow operation discovered by Homer police

Homer Police Department

Indoor marijuana grow operation discovered by Homer police

Homer Police Department

The Homer Police Department, with the help of the Soldotna Drug Enforcement Unit, uncovered a large marijuana grow operation in Homer on Friday. More than 1,000 plants were seized, which police said had a street value of nearly $1.5 million.

The plants and growing equipment were discovered after a Homer police officer, looking for a wanted felon in the area, stepped out of his patrol car on Collie Street and “observed an overwhelming odor of growing marijuana” from a building. He obtained a warrant to search the building, and entered with other officers and the SDEU team. They found 1,012 growing plants and over $25,000 worth of hydroponic and lighting equipment.

While police were still at the scene, Joseph Gabryszak arrived at the building. Police said in an affidavit that Gabryszak lived in a small room in the building and had been leasing the building for several months.

Gabryszak allegedly told authorities the grow operation was “his and his alone.”

“He stated it was about to be legal to grow marijuana and he wanted to know if he could do it,” police said in court documents.

Gabryszak was arrested and charged with three counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance. He was arraigned in Homer Court on Saturday.

A judge sentenced a Las Vegas man to 13 years in prison for of conspiring to traffic drugs to Anchorage and launder money made from selling the drugs, stemming from 2014 charges.

U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason handed down the sentence for 38-year-old Billy Cooks on Feb. 12, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

Cooks, who also goes by the nickname “Red Dollaz,” previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with his girlfriend and co-defendent E’lala Frank, to distribute methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of the drug. He also pleaded guilty to conspiring with Frank to launder the proceeds the two would make by selling the meth.

In Jan. 2014, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Anchorage found a suspicious package sent from Las Vegas to Anchorage. After drug-sniffing dogs indicated the parcel contained controlled substances, inspectors got a search warrant to determine the contents of the package — 443.5 grams of meth.

It was then that inspectors, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), switched the meth with fake drugs and sent the package to its original recipient.

The following day while under surveillance, the parcel was delivered to a man identified in the release as Dawud Johnson. Johnson left his home shortly after receiving the package and was seen throwing it out his car window by tailing investigators. He was arrested afterward.

Phone records revealed the link between Johnson and Cooks. In the days leading up to the delivery of the drugs, “Red Dollaz” and Johnson had arranged payment for the drugs through a Wells Fargo bank account in Frank’s name.

In an earlier trial, Johnson received a 15-year prison sentence for his involvement in the crime.

The release states Judge Gleason reflected on the damage meth causes to individuals and the ripple effect the drug has on the community. She held Cooks responsible for getting Franks involved and said during sentencing that Cooks was not motivated by addiction, but by a much more common ailment — greed.

“Meth can be highly addictive and highly damaging to the human brain,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin R. Feldis. “Nobody should be allowed to profit by doing harm to others and to the community, and their sentence reflects that fact.”

An unidentified suspect has been taken into custody for stabbing a man multiple times in downtown Anchorage.

Police found the victim just after 8 p.m. after receiving a report that a stabbing had occurred at an apartment building on the 400 block of Eagle Street. Medical personnel transported the victim to a nearby hospital for treatment of what police called non-life threatening wounds.

The suspect, a man, was still at the scene, according to police. They found he also fought with a woman at the apartment, but she “did not sustain any major injuries,” according to police.

“A neighbor who heard the altercation tried to physically intervene and during the engagement was cut with a knife multiple times by the male suspect,” police explained.

The suspect was taken into custody without incident. He will not be identified until charges against him have been filed, according to police.

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

1824 Orchard Place

Last Updated at 5:20 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18

Neighbors on the 1800 block of Orchard Place in Anchorage woke up Thursday morning to the sight of yellow police tape.

According to a release, the Anchorage Police Department responded to a call of a home invasion in the area just after 4:30 a.m. It was reported to police that a person in the home fired multiple shots at one of the alleged home invaders.

When police arrived, they found a man outside the home with gunshot wounds. Medics pronounced the man dead at the scene. APD said they have teams investigating the incident and will release more information as it becomes available.

Since August of last year, APD has been called to the residence eight times, according to an officer on scene.

“I’ve seen a lot of arguments and drinking and stuff going on in the past,” said neighbor Richard Pomeroy. “This is a pretty quiet neighborhood, to be honest.”

Police are looking for an additional person who was at the scene at the time of the shooting but left before police showed up.

“There is a person who, basically we’re just calling a witness at this point in time, because we believe that they were there and would have some information about this event,” said APD spokesperson Jennifer Castro. “We don’t know if they were potentially a second home invader or if they were possibly an occupant of the home or what their necessary association was.”

Castro also said she believes three “young people” were inside the home at the time of the shooting.

No charges have been filed at this time.

Original story

One man is dead after a possible early morning home invasion in South Anchorage.

Just after 4:30 a.m. Thursday, the Anchorage Police Department was called to the 1800 block of Orchard Place for a report of a home invasion.

“It was reported to police that one of the home occupants had fired multiple shots at one of the home invaders,” according to an APD release.

When police arrived, they found a male with gunshot wounds outside of the residence. He was pronounced dead at the scene, APD says.

Police are still working to determine the circumstances surrounding the event. Additional information will be released as it becomes available, APD says.

Last Updated at 5:34 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18

A man was injured when bullets hit his his car while his baby was in the back seat.

Just after 7:30 a.m., the Anchorage Police Department received multiple calls about shots fired near the intersection of West 32nd Avenue and Cope Street. Shortly after, police dispatch got a report of male who had heard gunshots while driving in the area and that he had a head injury.

Police and medics arrived to the scene and the man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The man was transported to the hospital after a bullet grazed his head, according to APD spokesperson Jennifer Castro. He has since been released. The toddler in the car was uninjured in the shooting.

APD said the man was taking his kids to school, but it was not clear whether they had been dropped off first. His baby was in the backseat where a window had been shot out.

APD’s release also stated that police found multiple bullet casings in the road. Anchorage police blocked off 32nd Avenue to all traffic Thursday morning.

Police couldn’t say if this was a targeted shooting. No suspects have been arrested in connection to this crime.

“I just heard… It sounded like someone unloading a clip,” said neighbor Andrew Wright. “I’ve heard gunshots before, but not this close. I’m a pretty heavy sleeper. I slept through that earthquake the other day. And you know, it was no big deal. But this was pretty loud.”

The scene was calm as the victim’s car was towed away with the baby’s car seat visible through the shattered glass.

No suspects have been taken into custody.

If anyone has information about the incident, police ask them to call 786-8900 or provide an anonymous tip to Anchorage Crimestoppers at 561-STOP.

Original story

Around 8 a.m., the Anchorage Police Department responded to a report of a shooting near 1100 West 32nd Avenue.

One victim has been taken to the hospital and police are advising people to avoid the area at this time.

This is the second of two shootings in Anchorage Thursday morning.

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

On Thursday, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis announced the federal court case against a Palmer man he says is responsible for operating a major drug ring in the Mat-Su Valley.

If convicted, 26-year-old Hiram Ducasse will spend at least 20 years behind bars.

Ducasse is the only defendant named in the three-count indictment. The first count charges Ducasse with conspiring with others to distribute heroin. The second and third counts both charge Ducasse with actually distributing heroin, including distribution which resulted in the death of someone who used the drug.

On November 30, Feldis alleges Ducasse sold half a gram of heroin to a 22-year-old Michael Chalender of Houston. The next day, he was found dead by a family member, according to Alaska State Troopers.

The overdose death led the way for the bust of a multi state drug operation involving at least six people. Investigators searched Ducasse’s home, where they found 35 grams of heroin. Feldis says no one should be allowed to profit from selling heroin or harming others.

“We’re going to prosecute this case and we’re going to prosecute any similar cases but we are not going to prosecute our way out of the problem,” said Feldis. “That’s going to take all of our help.”

Nationwide, a drug over dose kills someone every 12 minutes, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Sadly, heroin use and distribution is on the rise throughout the country, and in Alaska, with often tragic consequences,” Feldis said. “This is one such tragic case.”

Captain Jeffrey Laughlin with the Alaska State Troopers says heroin can be found in every community in the state. He says addiction is a disease, and those who contribute to the illness will be held responsible.

“If we go into people’s homes where their family members have died because of heroin overdoses then we’re going to try to follow that to the source, because that’s where we need to stop it, said Laughlin. “We also need the public to stand up and say we’ve had enough.”

The others connected to the Mat-Su heroin bust are charged with drug trafficking and gun crimes. Feldis says, in this case, the heroin came to Alaska by way of California.

Ducasse will be arraigned in federal court in the coming days.

A federal grand jury has indicted two 26-year-old Anchorage men on charges of assaulting a deputy federal marshal.

Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis says Leigaga Amituanai and Sulu Faamolemole are charged with pointing a shotgun at the marshal while the marshal was on duty.

The marshal was conducting surveillance Feb. 11 in east Anchorage. Prosecutors say a pickup driven by Faamolemole approached and a passenger, Amituanai, pointed a sawed-off shotgun at the deputy marshal.

Anchorage police and the deputy marshal attempted to pull the men over. Prosecutors say Amituanai and Faamolemole tried to elude officers but were captured.

Officers seized a sawed-off shotgun, a loaded pistol and ammunition.

Messages left for Amituanai’s lawyer, federal assistant public defender Darrel Gardner, and Faamolemole’s attorney, Danee Pontious, were not immediately returned.

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

Updated at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19

Hillside residents can breathe a sigh of relief today, as the Anchorage Police Department announced they have caught the person who has been stealing their mail for months.

APD and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have identified 27-year-old Evan Ryan Mullen as the alleged thief. According to the release, Mullen stole mail from mailboxes located on Ginami Street and Upper Huffman in January and later used credit cards from the theft.

Mullen was indicted on one felony count of access device fraud and one felony count of mail theft earlier this week.

A federal warrant was issued for Mullen’s arrest. Police arrested him this morning and took him to the Anchorage Jail.

The investigation into this crime was a joint effort by APD, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Original story

Hillside residents are frustrated. They say their mailboxes are getting hit by thieves two or three times every week.

“We just want our mail,” said theft victim Reva Katz, who’s lost everything from Christmas cards to her husband’s heart medication. ”I don’t have that long left. I have better things to do than worry about the mail.”

It’s a feeling her neighbors, like Jillian Simpson, share.

“It definitely makes me feel very vulnerable,” Simpson said. “I initially think it’s just a one-off thing, just somebody random doing it, but now realizing that it’s a very targeted, planned thing that’s happening and continues to happen.”

Their mail has been disappearing regularly since November. Calls to the Postal Inspector and the police have had no impact.

“We feel violated and we’re frustrated and there’s been, from our perception, no action on it,” Simpson said.

“They tell us buy lock boxes — $200 a piece,” Katz said. “Or buy one of those [cluster mail box]. That’s $400 a person. That’s half my disability check.”

The Postal Inspector said they are investigating the theft, which is a federal crime, and they understand people’s frustrations. They said victims can help by reporting specific dates their mail goes missing. Also, report stolen items that are trackable, like credit cards, gift cards and checks. That way, the inspector can see if someone tries to use them.

Dawn Peppinger, marketing manager for the U.S. Postal Service Alaska district said there’s other things people can do to protect themselves: Check your mailbox right after delivery, don’t leave mail out overnight and if you’re going to be away for a few days, put your mail on hold.

Peppinger said you can also rent a PO box at a post office for around $100 every six months.

“It’s in the building. They have to have a key to access the box and so we promote PO boxes as a secure way to get your mail,” Peppinger said.

Katz said they shouldn’t have to go that far to protect their mail. She said she’d like to see the mailboxes moved so they are in front of each person’s house, rather than clustered together at the end of the street. That would allow people to keep an eye on their box and make them less of an easy target for thieves.

To report stolen mail, go to the Postal Inspector’s website or call 1-877-876-2455.

If you see someone suspicious around your mailbox, you’re asked to call police.

Updated at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19

Two robbers caught earlier this month while trying to enter people’s homes through unlocked windows or doors in Southwest Anchorage have been charged for the robbery of a local sandwich shop the day before.

According to the Anchorage Police Department, 29-year-old David Nelson and 32-year-old Jared Nelson were arrested Feb. 10 after the two were knocking on the doors of residences on Connors Trail Circle and checking to see if the doors were locked.

Officers responded and located the men. While David Nelson complied with officers and stayed, Jared Nelson ran from police. With the help of a K-9 officer named Doc, APD found him hiding in a shed.

On Feb. 9, APD responded to an armed robbery at the Subway located on Jewel Lake Road. The two men, one armed with a gun, entered the store and demanded money from the safe.

According to APD’s release, the robbers were wearing unique clothing during the event — one robber had on a black zip-up hoodie with “KISS” across the front, while the other had on an “Alaskan Grown” hoodie. Descriptions and photos of the suspects were issued to all APD officers. One officer recalled seeing two men wearing the same sweatshirts at a local gas station hours before the robbery.

Surveillance video from the gas station matched the suspects who were shown in the sandwich shop video. Further investigation by APD robbery detectives identified the robbers as David and Jared Nelson.

Both have been charged with one count of robbery in the first degree for the Subway incident.

The men had prior outstanding warrants and were taken to Anchorage Jail upon their arrest on Feb. 10.

Original story

Police are searching for two suspects following a robbery Tuesday morning at an Anchorage Subway restaurant.

Just after 7 a.m. Tuesday two men wearing hooded sweatshirts and bandannas entered the sandwich shop on Jewel Lake Road near the intersection of Dimond Boulevard, according to Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Castro.

Castro said one suspect appeared to have a gun and the suspects demanded cash from the employees. Details of the altercation have not been released.

The suspects left the shop and fled on foot. APD’s search of the area with a K-9 unit did not result in any arrests.

No injuries have been reported in connection to the robbery.

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

A woman charged for her role in a man’s death at a Fairbanks hotel has reached a plea deal with the state.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that 34-year-old Dominique Natalie Vasquez has pleaded guilty to a reduced count of criminally negligent homicide in connection with the January 2015 death of 37-year-old Wesley Lord. Vasquez’s initial charges of murder, manslaughter and assault have been dropped.

Court documents say Vasquez had been smoking methamphetamine and drinking alcohol at a hotel with Lord and two other men. Lord and Vasquez had finished having consensual sex when Vasquez’s boyfriend showed up.

The documents say Vasquez claimed Lord raped her and Stine began beating Lord. The two other men told authorities Vasquez covered Lord’s mouth with her hand and appeared to choke him.

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

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

Last updated at 12:35 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22

Troopers were still at the scene Monday morning where a 38-year-old woman was killed by a trooper following a standoff.

The officer-involved shooting occurred at a home on Hawk Lane in Houston, just down the road from the high school and middle school. Alaska State Troopers left the scene just before noon, leaving the plot of land where multiple large trucks and semi-trucks surrounded the residence, a camper with two sheds attached.

AST Capt. Hans Brinke told KTVA that Patricia Kruger wasn’t in the home very long, before she grabbed the homeowner’s handgun and they are trying to piece together why she would have done so.

“Right now, it’s not likely that [they] knew each other. We are still looking into it. What her demeanor was, the interaction from what I’m taking on, this was very short-termed. I’m trying to figure out exactly how he depicted her interaction,” Brinke said.

Brinke confirmed there was one shot fired by the trooper, but stressed that AST spent a substantial amount of time trying contact Kruger inside the home.

“They were trying to make contact with her and get her to actually talk with them and they were never successful in getting that conversation,” Brinke said. “So trying to figure out what her demeanor was through conversation, that’s something we don’t know.”

 Neighbors living in the nearest house said they knew Kruger and were devastated by what happened.

Updated at 9:10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 22

Little information is available this morning about a woman who was shot and killed by a trooper during a standoff Sunday night in Houston.

Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said in an email Monday morning that many details have yet to be determined in the case, which is under investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.

She said it was not known what happened to cause 38-year-old Patricia Kruger to grab the gun, which Ipsen stated in her email was a handgun. As of right now, there is no indication Kruger knew the homeowner prior to the incident and Ipsen said no one else was injured.

Investigators are still working out a timeline of events that led up to Kruger being shot by the trooper and Ipsen said the autopsy of Kruger’s body will determine where she was shot.

Original story

A Wasilla woman is dead following a standoff with Alaska State Troopers Sunday night.

Just after 11 p.m., troopers received a report of a disturbance in Houston. According to AST, 38-year-old Patricia Kruger entered a residence off Hawk Lane after being allowed in by the homeowner.

Then she grabbed the homeowner’s gun. As the homeowner fled, Kruger fired the gun.

Troopers say a perimeter was set up for the public’s safety while they attempted to make contact with Kruger — with no success. AST said multiple shots were fired by Kruger. When she pointed the gun at a trooper, he fired his weapon. Kruger was hit with the trooper’s shot and declared deceased on scene.

Kruger’s next of kin have been notified and her body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.

The name of the trooper involved will be withheld for 72 hours. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.

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

KTVA’s Shannon Ballard contributed to this report. Follow her on Twitter (@ShannonKTVA) and Facebook for more news updates.

A former University of Alaska Fairbanks hockey player has been found not guilty of charges that he sexually assaulted a woman on campus.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that 24-year-old Nolan Youngmun, of Anchorage, had been charged with first and second degree sexual assault after the woman claimed he raped her on April, 5 2015. Youngmun was cleared of both charges Monday.

Prosecutors had argued that Youngmun entered the woman’s room naked, woke her and sexually assaulted her despite requests to stop.

Youngmun’s attorney had claimed the woman was inconsistent in her accounts to authorities and that university police were too quick to blame Youngmun for the crime.

Court documents say Youngmun has also been indicted on a sexual assault charge for another incident that happened in 2013.

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

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

A 50-year-old Kenai resident serving as a court-appointed custodian has been charged with violating her duties.

Alaska State Troopers say 50-year-old Raylene Wallace failed to report that 32-year-old Natasha Miller of Soldotna had left her custody.

Miller has felony theft and drug charges pending. She had been released to Wallace, who was required to report if Miller left her care.

Troopers say Miller on Monday was found in a vehicle near Kenai and that Wallace knew she had left.

Miller is charged with violating conditions of her release and giving false information about her identity. She’s being held without bail.

Wallace is charged with violating custodian duties. She remained jailed Tuesday at Wildwood Pretrial Facility with bail set at $500. She was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

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

Timothy Lundgren

Anchorage Police Department

Anna Rascon

Anchorage Police Department

The Anchorage Police Department says they are looking for Timothy Alex Lundgren in connection with a recent Anchorage home invasion that resulted in the death of 30-year-old Loren Douglas.

Douglas allegedly broke into a home on Orchard Place on Feb. 18. He was killed when someone living at the home opened fire on him and his accomplice. Police said his accomplice fled the scene.

Police said Lundgren is considered a person of interest, not as a suspect, according to a statement. Detectives have attempted to find him for questioning but have so far been unsuccessful.

Lundgren is roughly 6-feet tall and weighs approximately 150 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes, according to police. Police said he may be with his girlfriend, 25-year-old Anna Rascon. She is 5-feet-9-inches tall and weighs roughly 190 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes.

Anyone with information on Lundgren or Rascon’s whereabouts is asked to call APD at 786-8900. An anonymous tip can also be submitted by calling Anchorage CrimeStoppers at 561-STOP (7867).

A 52-year-old man from the southwest Alaska village of Aleknagik has been charged with attempted murder and felony assault.

Alaska State Troopers say Robin Chythlook stabbed an adult family member multiple times Monday night.

Dillingham police took a 911 call from the injured person and a village public safety officer responded.

Troopers say Chythlook pointed a rifle at the officer but was taken into custody after a brief standoff.

The injured family member was reported as stable at a hospital in Dillingham.

Chythlook is jailed in Dillingham.

Aleknagik is a village of 246 located 16 miles northwest of Dillingham.

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

Two California men have been indicted on multiple counts of sex trafficking, kidnapping and sexual assault and will face additional charges related to drug trafficking.

The investigation into the alleged criminal activities of 37-year-old Kendale Standifer and 34-year-old Jamal Williams began with a traffic stop by Alaska State Troopers. A trooper pulled the two men over on the Parks Highway on Feb. 7 for speeding. Two women were with them, and the trooper suspected “them of being involved in sex trafficking and drug trafficking,” troopers said in an online dispatch.

The trooper notified the Fairbanks Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) and the Anchorage Special Crimes Investigation Unit (SCIU).

A few days after the trooper’s interaction with them, Fairbanks police were notified by a rental car company that a vehicle rented by Standifer and Williams had not been returned. Police located them and “smelled an odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and noticed Standifer had a large sum of money and seven to 10 phones in his possession,” according to troopers. SDEU was called to the scene to investigate.

“Through their investigation, SDEU drug investigators found the two females, ages 19 and 20, who said they were being pimped out by both men in a statewide prostitution enterprise,” troopers wrote, adding the two men forced them into prostitution “by intimidation, abuse, and with the use of narcotics.”

On Feb. 12, SCIU and the Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team (WAANT) conducted a warranted search on a storage unit in Anchorage being used by Standifer. They found an estimated $280,000 worth of drugs, troopers report.

“Other search warrants served by drug investigators during the course of the investigation uncovered many items associated with sex trafficking including over $10,000 in cash, multiple cell phones, ledgers with clients names and phone numbers, and numerous documents on money laundering,” troopers said.

Standifer and Williams were arrested on Feb. 11 and are being held without bail at the Fairbanks Correctional Center. They were later indicted on multiple charges on Feb. 19. Standifer faces a single count each of first- and second-degree sex trafficking, first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. Williams has been charged with single counts of first-degree sex trafficking and kidnapping and two counts of second-degree sex trafficking. Additional drug-related charges are pending against both men.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Postal Investigators have assisted in the ongoing case against both men.

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

Anchorage Police arrested a man for breaking into two separate vehicles Wednesday after one victim and a good Samaritan followed the thieves.

The Anchorage Police Department responded to Blaines Art on Photo Avenue after hearing reports of theft from an employee’s vehicle. A woman told APD she had been at work for about 10 minutes when a maintenance worker from another building let her know her vehicle had a broken window.

The woman went out to the parking lot, saw that her vehicle’s window was broken and two men walking away carrying her computer bag. She yelled at the men and chased after them on foot. A woman driving by saw the victim running and asked the victim what had happened.

After giving an explanation, the driver picked up the woman and they drove off after the two suspects. The two women called APD dispatch and relayed what was happening. The women were able to get close enough to the suspects to get a picture of them.

As the call was dispatched over the radio, an officer heard the suspects’ descriptions and realized he had just seen the two men run through the area of Arctic and Benson Boulevards.

The women told police they had lost sight of the men on the 800 block of West 12th Avenue where the men began running around buildings. The officer responded to the area where 24-year-old Justin Riffe was found hiding under a stairwell with the victim’s computer bag and most of the items still inside. APD stated in the release that Riffe had an outstanding felony warrant.

Meanwhile, another APD officer responded to Burger King on Northern Lights around 10:30 a.m. for another vehicle break-in. A woman who worked at the restaurant realized someone had broken out the window of her vehicle an hour prior. While nothing was stolen, surveillance footage showed that it was Riffe who had damaged her vehicle. The other man who was with Riffe at Blaines Art was also shown in the video.

Police charged Riffe with two counts of criminal mischief and two counts of theft and took him to the Anchorage Jail.

APD is trying to contact the man who was with Riffe during the commission of both crimes and are not identifying him at this time.

Timothy Lundgren

Anchorage Police Department

Anchorage Police released a statement Thursday morning thanking the public for their help to find a man allegedly involved in the fatal shooting during a home invasion Feb. 18 on Orchard Place.

Detectives say multiple tips called into the Crime Stoppers hotline were instrumental in finding Timothy Lundgren, who police successfully located at a home in east Anchorage. Police took Lundgren into custody for questioning and later charged him with burglary and robbery in connection with the incident on Orchard Place.

Lundgren was taken to the Anchorage Jail with bail set at $10,000 with a court-approved third-party custodian. The release stated Lundgren is expected to be arraigned at the Anchorage Jail at 2:30 Thursday afternoon.

APD detectives believe additional people have information about last week’s incident and ask people to call APD at 786-8900. They can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP or submit a tip anonymously at www.anchoragecrimestoppers.com.