Candy caper sours more for suspects

PALMER — Four people arrested in connection with holding up a group of young trick-or-treaters at gunpoint on Halloween may have played their last trick on themselves.

Digitally recorded phone calls between robbery suspects Kendra Butts, 18, of Wasilla and Amber Martin, 20, of Wasilla and two men arrested in Talkeetna on Halloween night indicate a plot to destroy evidence from a string of burglaries in the Talkeetna area. The calls include urging Butts to burn a truck stored in the Alaska State Troopers impound yard, according to an affidavit filed by Alaska Bureau of Investigation Investigator Christopher Long.

In the affidavit, Long says the jailhouse telephone calls from Michael S. Wilson and Aaron Tolen, both 24, to their girlfriends filled in details about why the men left a cabin in Talkeetna after an argument about the trick-or-treat robbery. The calls also explain how Wilson and Tolen suppressed evidence about the women’s whereabouts Halloween night under questioning by troopers following their arrest at a local restaurant and bar. Other information in the calls led troopers to search for and discover a $70,000 cache of stolen property on land near Montana Creek Road near Talkeetna.

“Also recovered at the location was an orange plastic pumpkin containing candy,” the affidavit says. “On the pumpkin was the name of one of the juveniles who was robbed while trick-or-treating in Talkeetna.”

Butts and Martin face felony assault and robbery charges stemming from the armed robbery of seven trick-or-treaters on Talkeetna’s Main Street. At least one shot was fired during the hold-up. Candy and an iPhone were stolen from the group.

The truck used in the incident was tracked down two hours later at the Latitude 62 lodge, and police arrested Tolen and Wilson, impounding two concealed handguns and the black Dodge truck owned by Butts.

A Department of Corrections security sergeant alerted troopers he had monitored phone calls placed from Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility by Tolen and Wilson during which they communicated with Butts and Martin. Butts and Martin were being sought by troopers at the time.

Troopers executed a search warrant and seized the recordings.

According to the affidavit, the calls indicate Butts and Martin returned to the cabin in Talkeetna after the robbery and bragged about it to their boyfriends. An argument ensued about the robbery. Tolen and Wilson left in the truck unaware troopers received the license plate number from the robbery victims. The calls discussed the involvement of Butts and Martin in the robbery, use of the truck and the gun in the robbery and that the men concealed the women’s whereabouts from troopers during questioning.

“[The calls] also revealed that Wilson and Butts discussed plans to break into the impound yard where the vehicle was stored to remove her purse and 13 items that would result in federal charges against Wilson if seized as evidence by troopers,” the affidavit says. “The plans included burning the truck in place if all the item could not be successfully removed.”

After troopers heard the suspects discuss burning evidence at another unnamed site they teamed with Alaska Wildlife Troopers to search the Talkeetna area by air for a cache of stolen property. Among the items discussed on the tapes were animal skins, hides and heads. Troopers have reported recovering stolen travel trailers, a Polaris six-wheeler ATV, tools and other items. Investigators served six search warrants during the course of this investigation.

Butts was apprehended Tuesday afternoon and remanded to the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility in Palmer. Bail was set at $75,000 for her charges, including six counts of first-degree robbery and seven counts of third-degree assault. Butts is also charged with a Class A felony involving the use of a weapon during the commission of a crime.

Martin was arrested after being stopped by Houston police Capt. John Rhyshek late Friday night. Martin was one of four people in a 1978 Ford truck that had a headlight out. Troopers later impounded the truck. Martin and the other occupants were detained on the scene until troopers arrived. Martin was remanded to Mat-Su Pre-Trial facility and held on $50,000 cash bail.

“If I was to stop one vehicle that night, that’s the one I should have stopped,” Rhyshek said, noting that an officer never knows what will turn up during a traffic stop.

“We keep a pretty tight rein on our citizens out here,” Rhyshek said. “If someone has a warrant we’ll track them down.”

Martin’s preliminary hearing has been set for 2 p.m. Nov. 13 before Judge David L. Zwink at the Palmer courthouse, 435 S. Denali St. She is represented by the Public Defender’s Office. Tolen also faces a preliminary hearing 2 p.m. Nov. 13 before Judge Zwink. He was arraigned Nov. 1 and also arrested again on a bench warrant on two unrelated felony and one misdemeanor charge. Butts will go before Judge Zwink at 2 p.m. Nov. 19.

Contact John R. Moses at john.moses@frontiersman.com or call 352-2270.