February trial set for trick-or-treat robbers

PALMER — Trial for two men and two women arrested in connection with the Halloween robbery of eight Talkeetna children has been scheduled for Feb. 19, according to court documents.

At a recent pre-trial conference, Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Powell handed a load of evidence over to defense attorneys, court records show. Powell said the defense was given time to review the evidence and decide what kind of requests to make before a second conference scheduled for Jan. 17.

Kendra Butts, 19, and Amber Martin, 19, were arrested in November. Butts was hiding in a Big Lake crawl space and Martin was found during a traffic stop. Both are charged with seven counts of robbery, one of attempted robbery and eight of assault.

The children told troopers the women wore ski-masks in the incident and fired a gun into the air. They made off with seven bags of candy and an iPhone a parent had sent along in case of emergency.

The boyfriends of the women, Aaron Tolen and Michael Scott Wilson, both 25, are charged with hindering prosecution and weapons misconduct for being felons in possession of firearms at the time of their arrest. Tolen was also charged with theft after Alaska State Troopers say he stole the badge from a trooper’s hat while waiting to be taken to jail.

Tolen and Wilson were spotted at Latitude 62 driving a Dodge truck, troopers report. The truck’s license plates matched the description one of the children gave to troopers as belonging to the car from which their assailants sprang as the children trick-or-treated along Main Street.

Wilson later told troopers the pair’s girlfriends had robbed the children. The girls then came to a cabin, found their boyfriends there and told them about robbing the children, court records say. Tolen and Wilson left to go to the restaurant where they were arrested.

As the case progressed and led by recorded telephone conversations between the men and their girlfriends, troopers found a $70,000 cache of vehicles, tools and travel trailers on Montana Creek Road that had been stolen during burglaries at Talkeetna-area homes.

Sgt. Mike Burkmire with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation said Thursday the evidence and possible burglary charges have been sent to the District Attorney’s Office for review.

“What they’re going to do is they’ll review them and then hold a grand jury,” Burkmire said.

Burkmire estimated there were likely six or seven burglaries, but couldn’t speak to which of the four defendants would likely face charges.

Butts, Tolen and Wilson are being held at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility on $50,000, $25,000 and $25,000 bail respectively.

All defendants will need to find third-party custodians before they can be released. Martin is being held at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Facility on $50,000 bail and will likewise need a custodian.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@fontiersman.com or 352-2270.