ANCHORAGE — Another man has been arrested by the agency’s Special Crimes Investigation Unit (SCIU) for the assault and kidnapping of two men in the Valley. The incident was reported to Alaska State Troopers on Oct. 27.

In an online release, troopers say on Wednesday their investigators identified 26-year-old Anchorage resident Corey S. Sylva as part of the crime, where the two alleged victims were left injured on the Palmer side of Hatcher Pass.

Related

2 men found injured in Hatcher Pass; Anchorage man charged with kidnapping, attempted murder

Troopers procured an arrest warrant for Sylva for his part in the kidnapping and assault, and SCIU arrested the man around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Sylva was transported to the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where he was being held in “a no bail status,” while awaiting an arraignment.

Troopers say they the investigation is ongoing.

The post AST: Second man involved in Hatcher Pass assault, theft arrested appeared first on KTVA 11.

Crime tape kept the public out of the Kangas home during the initial investigation in Tanana

ANCHORAGE — Nathanial Kangas will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge decided at his sentencing hearing Wednesday. Kangas was convicted of shooting and killing two Alaska State Troopers in the village of Tanana in 2014.

Superior Court Judge Paul Lyle sentenced Kangas to 203 years in prison, without the possibility of parole. Lyle also ordered Kangas to pay a $5,000 fine and $2.6 million in restitution, CBS 13 Fairbanks reports. Kangas was convicted in May of first-degree murder, third-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence.

Arvin Kangas. Photo: Tanana Valley Television

While in prison, Kangas is not allowed to have communication with his father, Lyle added to his sentence. His father, Arvin Kangas, was sentenced to eight years in prison for his part in the deaths of Sgt. Scott Johnson and Gabe Rich.

Rich and Johnson flew to Tanana on May 1, 2014 following a report that Arvin Kangas had pointed a gun at the village public safety officer. When they arrived at the Kangas home to arrest Arvin Kangas, he resisted arrest and a struggle ensued between him, his son and the two troopers.

The younger Kangas shot both troopers in the back during the altercation, court records show. The two Kangas men then took the troopers’ guns and disposed of marijuana plants inside the home.

More troopers later arrived and took both men into custody. Arvin Kangas was convicted in April of 2015 on three counts of tampering with physical evidence and four counts of first-degree hindering prosecution, for which Lyle later sentenced him to serve 10 years in prison with two suspended.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates as they become available.

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A naked man was arrested Friday for attempting to break into a house and exposing himself to a woman and her children, according to Alaska State Troopers (AST).

In a dispatch from the state agency, troopers wrote that they were notified of the incident on Engstrom Road at 10:29 a.m. Friday.

Investigators discovered 39-year-old Jesse Smart, of Wasilla, entered the home and exposed himself to the woman and her toddler children.

When troopers contacted Smart, he was completely nude, troopers said.

According to AST, he was unknown to the victims.

Smart was taken to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and was cleared before being taken to Mat-Su Pretrial for booking, the agency wrote.

Smart has been charged with first-degree burglary, as well as second-degree indecent exposure. He was also remanded on an Anchorage warrant for failing to appear on an unrelated driving with a license revoked charge.

The post AST: Naked burglar arrested in Wasilla appeared first on KTVA 11.

A man was hospitalized early Sunday morning after a downtown club shooting, for which he is being charged, Anchorage police say.

In a statement, police said the shooting was first reported jut before 2:15 a.m. near the entrance to the Playhouse Club, located at 333 W Fourth Ave.

Officers arrived within three minutes, according to the police statement. They found a man, identified as 30-year-old Andrew Abellanosa, suffering gunshot wounds to his legs and bleeding profusely.

“Officers applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and medics transported the male to the hospital,” police wrote. “He is in stable condition.”

Police said their investigation led them to the conclusion that Abellanosa had brandished a gun during an argument at the club, and at some point, “the gun discharged twice,” injuring Abellanosa.

The Playhouse Club issued a statement about the incident on its Facebook page:

Abellanosa faces multiple charges, including three counts of third-degree assault, and one count each of fifth-degree misconduct involving a weapon and reckless endangerment, online court records show. Police stated he will be taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex and booked on those charges as soon as he is released from the hospital.

The post Man wounded in club shooting identified by police as suspect appeared first on KTVA 11.

Douglas attempted robbery suspect

Courtesy Juneau Police Department

Douglas attempted robbery suspect

Courtesy Juneau Police Department

Douglas attempted robbery suspect

Courtesy Juneau Police Department

Juneau police are asking the public to help identify a woman who almost robbed the Douglas Breeze In grocery store Sunday morning.

The masked woman can be seen in images from store surveillance footage, holding what one employee says was a gun, according to police. They said she was first spotted around 8:05 a.m. and appeared to be planning to rob the grocery store, but stopped before threatening anyone.

An employee opening the store saw her and said she fled in a van, according to police. The van was later found abandoned on the 2700 block of John Street in Douglas. The van’s owner was not immediately reachable, according to police, who described the van as a fishing charter vehicle with “Chum Fun” printed on the side.

Anyone with information on the woman, the driver of the van or the attempted robbery is asked to call Juneau police at 907-586-0600.

The post Police seek ID of woman seen in attempted robbery footage appeared first on KTVA 11.

The Anchorage Police Department (APD) says they are investigating the early morning robbery of a Holiday gas station.

In an online release, APD stated that around 2:30 a.m. Monday someone reported a robbery at the gas station located on Bragaw Street near Debarr Road. Police were told that a woman went into the store with a handgun and demanded cash from the register, according to the release. After the employee complied, the woman left on foot.

APD said a K-9 search of the area was conducted, but didn’t locate the woman. Police describe her as a white female who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 190 pounds. She was wearing a light camouflage jacket, black gloves, jeans and blue tennis shoes with white soles. According to the release, she also wore a “black mask with a white skull face on it that looked like a bandana.”

No injuries were reported in the incident, APD said.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police at 907-786-8900. To provide an anonymous crime tip, contact Anchorage Crime Stoppers at 907-561-STOP or go to www.anchoragecrimestoppers.com.

The post APD: Anchorage gas station robbed overnight appeared first on KTVA 11.

A Delta Junction woman was assaulted for hours in her own home over the weekend, according to a graphic affidavit written by the investigating Alaska State Trooper. The suspect in the case is 55-year-old David Bucci, who troopers say admitted to the crime.

Trooper Melvin Colley said in his affidavit that the victim arrived at the Delta Junction trooper post Sunday afternoon, and he immediately noticed a number of injuries. She reported an hours-long assault by Bucci, during which she said she genuinely feared for her life.

The victim said the assault began late Friday night and lasted more than eight hours into Saturday. She said Bucci bound her, and hit, punched and strangled her multiple times, Colley stated in his affidavit. He would periodically drag her through her home, causing a large rug burn on her back and neck, according to Colley.

At one point, the victim said Bucci forced her to call a close family member who lived out of state, and ordered her to say goodbye because he was going to kill her. While the phone was ringing, Bucci stood over her with a log, threatening to bash her head with it if she told her family member about the assault, the victim told Colley. He also threatened to cut her with a knife.

“[The victim] was so sore after being assaulted that she had to be carried to the bathroom for the rest of Saturday,” Colley outlined in his affidavit.

When Colley and another Alaska State Trooper went to the victim’s home, Bucci admitted to everything, including his plan to kill her and himself, according to Colley. Along with the assault, Bucci confessed to stealing her belongings “to keep her from it,” Colley wrote, as well as destroying her computer. Bucci also destroyed her phone during the assault, Colley noted.

Bucci was arrested and taken to the Fairbanks Correctional Center, where he was booked under 16 charges, including kidnapping, second-degree sexual assault, second-, third- and fourth-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal mischief, third-degree theft and violating a protective order. He was arraigned Monday afternoon, but bail information was not immediately available.

In his online dispatch report of the assault, Colley noted that the victim was treated for her injuries, which he described as not life-threatening.

The post Troopers: Delta Junction man admits to wanting to kill girlfriend during hours-long assault appeared first on KTVA 11.

North Pole Police Department officer Phil McBroom talked at length about Sgt. Allen Brandt’s personality during his eulogy Sunday. Brandt was shot six times in downtown Fairbanks and died 12 days later following complications from surgery. McBroom described his late best friend as a man dedicated to his family, Christian faith and job.

“Allen was the real deal,” McBroom said. “What he had was genuine.”

The officer also took time to address a controversial law during the eulogy. Senate Bill 91 became law in July. It makes several changes to Alaska’s criminal justice system, including reducing penalties for certain crimes.

“Today, I bury my best friend and my brother. And there is no dollar savings and no amount of social experimentation that could make that worthwhile,” McBroom said in his eulogy.

Some comments on KTVA’s Facebook stream of the memorial service said it was not an appropriate time to address the topic. However, McBroom said it was an issue so close to Brandt’s heart, the late officer discussed it while in the hospital after being shot.

“As he lay in the hospital, faced with the prospect of his career being ended, Allen spoke of how demoralized he was that our Alaska state legislators have followed the nationwide trend of decriminalizing the behavior of so many lawbreakers in order to save money by reducing the prison population,” McBroom explained.

In a phone interview on Monday, McBroom said he felt it was important to express Brandt’s thoughts during the service.

“I thought that it was appropriate to let him speak for himself, so many of those comments were straight from his mouth,” McBroom said.

Jake Metcalfe, the executive director of the Public Safety Employees Association, which represents the Fairbanks Police Department, Alaska State Troopers and other agencies, said McBroom did the right thing.

“I’m sorry if that bothers some people, but he was upset about what happened to his closest friend, and I think in that sort of situation, a friend gets to say what’s on his mind,” Metcalfe said.

McBroom said he views the passing of SB 91 as part of a larger national trend that reflects a diminishing respect for first responders. Moreover, he said Brandt’s death was the “intentional targeting of a law enforcement officer.”

“It was a revenge killing, and so I think that there’s definitely a cultural shift in the lessening of respect for law enforcement,” McBroom said.

Anthony Jenkins-Alexie is the suspect in Brandt’s shooting. His last conviction prior to the shooting was in January 2015, about 18 months before SB 91 became law.

KTVA reached out to Gov. Bill Walker and each sponsor of the bill in both the state House and Senate. Each either declined an interview or did not respond to interview requests.

KTVA 11’s Eric Ruble can be reached via email or on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Fallen officer’s friend addresses controversial crime law during eulogy appeared first on KTVA 11.

Courtesy Anchorage Police Department

Anchorage police officers take Danerin Curtindale into custody

Janis Harper/KTVA

Last updated at 5:06 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9

Anchorage police took Danerin Curtindale into custody just before 5 p.m., police spokeswoman Renee Oistad confirmed.

Police briefly chased him on foot in the area of 15th Avenue and Gambell Street, eventually catching up and arresting him in the roadway of Gambell Street.

Oistad said there was no further issue reported by arresting officers.

Original story

Anchorage police are asking for the public’s help locating a man wanted on assault, kidnapping, robbery and burglary charges.

Police say an arrest warrant was issued Monday for 34-year-old Danerin Brae Curtindale, but they have been unable to locate him.

Court records show Curtindale was arrested in Ketchikan following a raid in 2012 and pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Anyone who knows anything about Curtindale’s location or may have seen him recently, is asked to call Anchorage police at 907-786-9800 or leave an anonymous tip with Anchorage Crime Stoppers.

The post APD arrests man wanted on kidnapping, robbery, assault charges appeared first on KTVA 11.

Source: Wasilla Police Department Facebook page

Source: Wasilla Police Department Facebook page

Source: Wasilla Police Department Facebook page

Police in Wasilla arrested someone in connection to multiple armed robberies Wednesday morning.

According to the Wasilla Police Department’s Facebook page, a tip from a citizen led to an arrest.

Few details were immediately available. In the post, WPD stated that between 8 and 9 a.m. Wednesday, the Wasilla Carr’s Oaken Keg and at the Tesoro station at mile 4 of Knik Goose Bay Road were robbed.

Photos of the suspect from apparent security footage were shared online by police. The man was driving a newer, white Dodge pickup with tinted windows, according to police.

“He is armed and dangerous,” WPD stated in the post.

In an update early Wednesday afternoon, WPD stated that Alaska State Troopers and the police department arrested a suspect in connection with the crime. No further details were released as the incident is under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact WPD at 907-352-5401 with any information and reference case 16-2129.

The post Wasilla police arrest suspect for 2 armed robberies Wednesday appeared first on KTVA 11.

A man pleaded guilty to murder in court two years and three days after he killed 57-year-old Glenna Wyllie, a caretaker at an Anchorage assisted living facility.

In court Thursday, 26-year-old Gilbert Nashookpuk of Kotzebue pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

Nashookpuk appears in court / KTVA

Nashookpuk was charged with Wyllie’s murder in November 2015.

Just after midnight on Nov. 7, 2015, he called 911 to report he had “killed someone.” At the time, police stated Nashookpuk said Wyllie had made him angry so “he strangled, kicked, and punched her to death,” then hid her body behind a freezer in the basement of the facility and fled.

In exchange for a guilty plea, the release stated that the State has dismissed a count of second-degree murder against Nashookpuk. Superior Court Judge Jack Smith accepted the 26-year-old’s guilty plea and will determine whether to accept the State’s plea deal for the second charge at a sentencing scheduled for April 14, 2017.

Nashookpuk’s plea agreement with the State could include a sentence of 60 years in prison, with an additional 20 years of suspended prison time and 10 years on probation, according the the release.

He was previously convicted of sexual assault in Fairbanks in 2011 and has a total of eight prior criminal convictions in the State of Alaska.

After Wyllie’s death, the license holder for the Anchorage assisted living facility faced $75,000 in fines for unsafe work conditions and failing to protect its employees against known hazards.

The post Kotzebue man pleads guilty to killing Anchorage assisted living caretaker appeared first on KTVA 11.

The Anchorage Police Department said they’ve arrested four people involved in the kidnapping, and subsequent robbery, of a 19-year-old man. The early-November crimes also led the department to an Anchorage home stocked with more than $100,000 in stolen goods from numerous unrelated incidents.

On Nov. 1, a 19-year-old Eagle River man was invited to have coffee with 18-year-old Dela White in downtown Anchorage. When he went downtown, White, who was with another female, told the 19-year-old she needed to calm down the other girl and suggested they go to Park Strip, a criminal complaint filed Monday said.

At about 11:30 a.m., while the two walked around the greenbelt near 10th Avenue, Christopher Goenett, 28, approached the victim and the girls, held a knife to the 19-year-old and forced him into a vehicle, Anchorage police wrote in a release Thursday afternoon.

APD said 28-year-old Tyrun Reynolds was already inside the vehicle.

Reynolds and Goenett took the victim’s keys, wallet and cellphone, then drove him to an ATM where they forced the 19-year-old to give them his PIN and withdrew money from his account, APD said.

The complaint states the two stole $380. That portion of the crime was caught on video surveillance.

“Afterwards the victim was driven back to his own vehicle,” police wrote. “The victim was placed into his own car where he was then duct-taped and handcuffed.”

Then Reynolds and another man, 34-year-old Danerin Curtindale, drove the 19-year-old to his family’s Eagle River home, where they entered through the garage and burglarized it.

The 19-year-old “remained handcuffed in the garage for approximately fifteen minutes before one of the suspects returned, placed a gun to the back of (the victim’s) head, and directed him to his parents’ bedroom,” the complaint says. The document states they forced the victim to tell them where different items were.

The suspects stole guns and credit cards, according to the complaint.

Anchorage police said Reynolds and Curtindale later drove the victim back to Anchorage in the victim’s car. On the way back to town, the victim told detectives, he overheard one of the suspects state they “hit the motherlode.”

The 19-year-old was dropped off near C Street and Dowling Road. He was physically unharmed and waved down a bicyclist for help, according to police.

APD was notified shortly before 4 p.m. Monday.

Two days after the kidnapping, on Nov. 3, one of the stolen cards was used at the Vans store, inside of the 5th Avenue Mall. Video of the transaction showed four males purchasing long boards, the complaint states.

One of the men identified in the surveillance footage, who was in police custody until Nov. 2, gave information to police that eventually led them to a residence on the 200 block of East 12th Avenue.

Inside the home, investigators discovered more than 500 stolen items, valued at more than $100,000.

According to APD, only some of the items were from the 19-year-old’s home; most were from unrelated thefts, burglaries and robberies.

“It appeared that many of the items were likely stolen from vehicles and during the vehicle break-ins, the suspects would steal the garage door opener as well as the vehicle registration to later burglarize the home,” APD said.

APD detectives are continuing to sort through seized items, but 10 owners have already been notified — more are expected.

When police interviewed Reynolds, on Nov. 6, he initially denied knowing anything about the 19-year-old’s kidnapping and robbery. But later he admitted to being paid $120 — plus he was given four rifles and two computers — for his part in the crimes.

According to Reynolds’ statement, they told the 19-year-old to count to 99 after they dropped him off.

He also said they met White — who’s suspected of putting the Nov. 1 events in motion — in Town Square the morning of the incident. Reynolds said she told them the victim “was a child molester and she wanted them to assault him.”

White has been charged with kidnapping. Goenett has been charged with kidnapping, third-degree assault and first-degree robbery. Reynolds and Curtindale have both been charged with third-degree assault, kidnapping, first-degree robbery and burglary.

Anchorage police said another male could be involved, but they’re still working to identify him. Police are withholding any identifiers and what exactly his involvement was.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call APD at 907-786-8900 or by calling Anchorage Crime Stoppers at 907-561-STOP.

The post 4 charged with kidnapping, other crimes, for early-November abduction, unrelated thefts appeared first on KTVA 11.

Scharber appears in court on Nov. 3, 2016.

Corey Sylva appears in court / KTVA

Three men have been indicted for the kidnapping and assault of two men who were shot and left for dead in Hatcher Pass in late October.

Prosecutors allege 34-year-old Matthew Scharber, 26-year-old Corey Sylva and 23-year-old Michael Elder assaulted the victims at a home in the Mountain View neighborhood on the evening of Oct. 27.

The victims were then tied up, forced into their own Subaru and driven to Hatcher Pass by Scharber. Once there, they were forced out of the vehicle, shot multiple times and left behind as Scharber drove back to Anchorage.

The victims were discovered early in the morning by a motorist and taken to the hospital. Both are expected to live, according to a release from the Attorney General’s Office.

Scharber faces two counts each of kidnapping, attempted murder, first-degree assault and third-degree assault. He has also been indicted on charges of felony vehicle theft and misconduct involving a controlled substance, according to prosecutors.

Sylva and Elder both face multiple charges of kidnapping and third-degree assault.

Police are still looking for Elder, and are asking for help from the public in locating him. If you have any information, you are asked to call Alaska State Troopers at (907) 352-5401.

The men each face sentences of 5 to 99 years if found guilty.

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

The post 3 Anchorage men indicted in Hatcher Pass kidnapping appeared first on KTVA 11.

Police on scene near 5th Ave. and Cordova St. Saturday morning.

Andy Nitchman / KTVA

Police on scene near 5th Ave. and Cordova St. Saturday morning.

Andy Nitchman / KTVA

The scene of the fatal officer-involved shooting

Rachel McPherron/KTVA

Last updated at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12

One person was killed, and one police officer was taken to a local hospital with injuries following a shooting early Saturday morning, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department. Police said the shooting was an ambush-style attack on the officer.

“At 4:36 a.m. an officer reported to dispatch that shots were fired and medics needed to respond to the area of Fifth Avenue and Cordova Street,” APD spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said in a statement. “It was reported to dispatch that another officer had been shot and a male had been shot as well.”

The wounded officer was taken to a nearby hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, Castro said, adding that police Chief Chris Tolley visited the hospital to check their condition.

“The officer is currently undergoing emergency surgery and is expected to survive,” she wrote.

Multiple units responded to the scene of the shooting, where a dead male was found, according to Castro.

“A preliminary investigation found that an officer was responding in their patrol car to a report of a theft suspect who was on foot in the area of Fifth Avenue and Cordova,” Castro said of the shooting. “As the officer was initiating a stop, a male brandishing a gun approached the patrol car and started firing at the officer.”

That officer was shot multiple times and returned fire, she continued. Another officer arrived as the gunfire occurred and fire on the suspect as well.

“Additional officers responded and rendered aid to the injured officer and the suspect,” she stated.

As of 7:30 a.m., Fifth Avenue is blocked from Denali Street to Barrow Street as authorities investigate the incident.

When asked why police called the shooting an ambush, she said, “it was a surprise to the officer to have the suspect brandish a gun and start shooting at the officer. It also appeared that the suspect intended to shoot and kill the officer.” She stated that police believe the initial call that brought the officer to the area was real.

“We still not have confirmed whether or not the suspect shooter in this case was actually the suspect that had been involved in the theft call or just happened to be in that area,” she wrote.

As with all other officer-involved shootings, the state Office of Special Prosecutions will investigate the early morning shooting to determine if the actions of the officers involved were justified. APD’s Office of Internal Inspections will also investigate.

At a press conference, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz identified the wounded officer as a male, but no further information was given on his identity.

“Following department policy, both officers who discharged their weapons have been placed on four days of administrative leave and their names will be released 72 hours following the event,” Castro added.

In a video addressing the public, Tolley thanked the public for the support he said the department has already received.

“I want to also tell the community I saw the video of this incident,” Tolley said in the video. “It’s horrific. It is really sad. It’s very troubling, but I’m so proud of our officers in that… they were able to apprehend this individual and keep anyone else from being hurt, and that these men and women are out on the streets of Anchorage each and every day and night protecting our citizens.”

The head of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association agrees. Sgt. Gerard Asselin told KTVA, “it’s created an inability for our officers to proactively respond to crime, and it’s created this situation where criminals are able to act out in a, unfortunately, relatively unabated fashion.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz praised the work of the city’s officers.

“When we hear sirens, it’s a reminder somebody’s heading into danger, and they’re doing it to keep everyone safe,” Berkowitz said at the press conference.

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

The post Police: 1 dead, 1 officer injured in ambush-style shooting appeared first on KTVA 11.

ANCHORAGE — A person dressed as a ninja burglarized an Anchorage card shop Friday night. The break-in was captured on security cameras.

The ninja suspect broke into the Spenard Bosco’s some time after closing, according to Erich Helmick, a staff member.

The katana the “ninja” stole from Bosco’s. Credit: Bosco’s Facebook

Helmick said he and others are checking the store’s inventory, but that so far it seems only a white katana sword was taken.

“The sword was the only thing we could make out well enough on the video to say for sure,” he added.

He said the point of entry for the suspect was damaged, but said he couldn’t elaborate further for security reasons.

“It was one of our first priorities yesterday morning and within a few hours we had it fixed,” he wrote in an email. “The point of entry was the only damage we found.”

A report has been filed with the Anchorage Police Department, Helmick confirmed.

“APD was amazing,” he said in his email. “They arrived very quickly and were incredibly professional. It was fun watching them on the video footage go about what must have been a very hair raising task.”

He said he was in no rush to hear back from police, who also investigated a fatal officer-involved shooting Saturday morning.

“I’m sure once they have time to process the troubling things that happened last night (this morning) they will get back to smaller matters like ours,” Helmick said.

Anyone with information about the burglary or the ninja suspect’s identity is encouraged to call Anchorage police at 907-786-8900, or email Bosco’s.

The post ‘Ninja’ burglarizes Spenard Bosco’s, steals katana appeared first on KTVA 11.

A number of people came to help clean up the mess left behind Saturday after someone broke into and ransacked Chugach Optional School overnight.

Anchorage School District spokeswoman Heidi Embley said a teacher discovered a man inside the school around 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The teacher called police and they apprehended the man outside the building.

Further exploration of the school building revealed some of what the man had been doing inside. Embley said he came in through a window in a classroom and then “ransacked” various rooms. She said he also urinated in parts of the building, leading to a school-wide sanitation effort. Embley said he also used a few different computers, but it was not yet clear what exactly he had done on them.

She said the school’s community has played a big role in moving past the situation. Current and retired teachers came in on Saturday to assist with the massive cleanup effort, and even some parents chipped in to help.

“That’s a really positive outcome of just a really just a disappointing situation,” Embley said.

The school’s faculty members were doing their best to ensure everything was back in order in time for class on Monday.

“When you come in and you see things damaged or ransacked or everything strewn about, it’s really disappointing, because it’s hard to explain to kids why this happened, because adults don’t really have a good understanding of that,” she said. “But as we’ve seen before, there’s just really great support in our community and we just appreciate that and hope that continues, and we’ll get through it.”

Clare Fulp, the school’s principal, was also on-hand for the cleanup, and echoed similar thoughts.

“I think the community just needs to continue to be part of schools and make sure we’re all working together for kids,” she said.

Anchorage police were not immediately available to comment on the case. The identity of the suspect has not been released.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates. KTVA 11’s Bonney Bowman contributed to this report.

The post Chugach Optional School ‘ransacked’ overnight, school officials say appeared first on KTVA 11.

An Emmonak man threatened and shot at a neighbor who intervened in a domestic disturbance Saturday, according to Alaska State Troopers.

The disturbance began at the home of 23-year-old Lucas Agathluk, who troopers said in a dispatch was repeatedly hitting a family member in the head.

“A neighbor responded to the residence to assist and Agathluk pointed a rifle at the person and threatened them,” troopers wrote. “The citizen ran from the house and Agathluk started shooting his rifle.”

Agathluk threatened another family member with the rifle and shot at them as well, according to the dispatch.

Troopers later found Agathluk at another family member’s home, and when they tried to take him into custody, he resisted, and “continued to be assaultive at the jail,” troopers said.

Agathluk faces two counts of first-degree attempted murder, two counts each of third- and fourth-degree assault and a single count each of second-degree misconduct involving a weapon, criminal mischief and resisting arrest.

Troopers took Agathluk to Bethel, where he is being held at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Correctional Center.

The post Emmonak man charged with attempted murder after fight with family, neighbor appeared first on KTVA 11.

Stanislaus County Deputy Sheriff Dennis Wallace. Courtesy Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department

Last updated at 12:39 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13

HUGHSON, California — Officials say a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputy was killed while responding to a call about a suspicious car and person. The suspect is now in custody, according to officials.

David Machado. Courtesy Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department Facebook

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department says Deputy Dennis Wallace was shot and killed Sunday. Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson says Wallace, a 20-year veteran, was shot twice in the head near a fishing access spot about 10 miles southeast of Modesto.

Wallace was patrolling the area and reported to dispatch that he would be checking on a suspicious van, which he said a few minutes later had been reported as stolen, a statement from the department said.

“Deputy Wallace immediately requested another deputy for assistance,” the statement elaborated. “As deputies were responding to assist Deputy Wallace, dispatch attempted to contact him but did not receive a response. The first assisting Deputy arrived on scene within five minutes and found Deputy Wallace down with gunshot injuries and called for assistance. Deputy Wallace was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries.”

The department says about 20 minutes after the shooting, they received a report a carjacking in nearby Keyes. The victim gave police a description of the suspect who carjacked his white 2009 Kia — later identified as 36-year-old David Machado. The van Wallace reported was found abandoned nearby, the department said.

The department says Machado is suspected in the killing. He was taken into custody Sunday afternoon, according to a statement on the department’s Facbeook page.

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

The post Deputy shot, killed while investigating suspicious vehicle, suspect in custody appeared first on KTVA 11.

Updated at 2:42 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14

An 18-year-old told Anchorage investigators he was “mad” when he brutally beat an elderly Mountain View man over the head with a hammer during a string of violent September robberies, according to a criminal complaint filed earlier this month.

Shortly before 11 p.m., on Sept. 16, Donald Nelson called 911 and claimed several people were attempting to break into his Thompson Avenue home, according to the complaint. He told the 911 operator he didn’t know who the culprits were.

The court document states that Nelson asked police dispatch for help and told them he didn’t have anywhere to go. The responding dispatch personnel noted Nelson stopped talking and that they heard “banging noises like someone was being hit,” the court document says.

When officers found Nelson, he was unresponsive on the floor with head injuries. A bloody hammer was discovered near the victim. Personal belongings — like books, manuals and paperwork — had been tossed out of the window, court documents describe.

A woman also called police claiming she saw a group of people outside of Nelson’s home throwing rocks at the window and kicking the front door. The witness was unable to see the culprits’ faces or other descriptors, beside their clothing.

Not even an hour before Nelson was attacked, two other people were attacked and robbed in Mountain View. The victims in both of those attacks described four Samoan males.

Peter Albert was assaulted near Bunn Street for his cell phone, Quest card, Alaska ID and $5. Albert told police his attackers took turns assaulting him; the last man broke a Wild Turkey bourbon bottle on his forehead.

Albert suffered a broken nose and wrist, the document says.

Then, on North Bliss Street, Lovie Houston was assaulted for a $150 Walmart gift card. He suffered an injury to his lip.

In early-October, investigators were able to match hand and finger prints of Leti Lelilio to the crime scene of Nelson’s attack.

On Nov. 9 the 18-year-old was interviewed at Anchorage police headquarters.

Lelilio told investigators on the night of the attacks he had been drinking alcohol with four others — identified in court documents as SL, “J,” “Leeky” and “Ramo.”

Lelilio said they chased down Albert by Smoke King and “Leeky” tackled the man. He admitted to kicking the man, while the others assaulted him, the complaint says.

Then, he said, they walked to Holiday gas station, near the assault on Houston. Lelilio told investigators he didn’t participate in that attack, according to the complaint.

But, as the group walked by Nelson’s home, Lelilio told investigators he pointed the house out and told “J” a “marijuana dealer” lived there, so they began to knock and kick the door.

“He reported that he punched the older man in the chest and the older man went to the floor,” the complaint says. “He reported that the older man threw a hammer at him, which made him mad.”

So, Lelilio told investigators he retaliated and hit them Nelson “two or three times,” and that “J” also hit Nelson with the hammer.

They stole $50 of weed and Nelson’s pipe.

After the group left, Lelilio said, they met up later to smoke their stolen drugs.

Online court records show Lelilio was arraigned in Anchorage jail court last week and is expected back in court on Tuesday for a pre-indictment hearing.

It was immediately unclear if anyone else has been, or will be, charged in the attacks and robberies. The District Attorney’s office and the Anchorage Police Department were unable to immediately provide any additional details.

Megan Edge can be reached by email, on Twitter and Facebook.

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EVERETT, Wash. (AP) – Authorities are investigating after a family member says one of the stars of the hit reality TV series “Deadliest Catch” was assaulted over the weekend.

Josh Harris says on social media that his brother Jake Harris was beaten and severely injured Saturday night. The Everett Police Department says they received a report of “a male victim of an assault.”

Police spokesman Aaron Snell told The Seattle Times the victim was found by a passer-by who called 911. The man refused medical attention and was taken home by police.

Jake Harris and his family have been featured on the Discovery Channel show about fisherman in Alaska for many years.

Everett is about 30 miles north of Seattle.

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