KFC robber doesn’t get far

WASILLA — A Fairbanks man was arrested this week after police say he held up the Kentucky Fried Chicken, making off with less than $100.

Jerrett M. Johnson, 25, was charged with first-degree robbery and third-degree assault.

According to a Wasilla Police Department press release, the robbery was reported at 3:27 p.m. Police say a man walked into the restaurant, said he was armed and demanded money from the register.

Acting Wasilla Police Chief Craig Robinson said that counts as armed robbery, even if he didn’t actually point a weapon at anybody.

“It’s an armed robbery because he told them he had a weapon and while none was actually shown, he indicated with his hand under his shirt that he was armed,” Robinson said. “He put them in fear of being shot by both his conduct and information he gave them.”

He said the robber left in a white Cadillac and that store employees got his license plate number. They were also able to give police a good physical description of him. Robinson said they put that information out over the radio.

“The vehicle came back registered in Fairbanks so specifically for those (police) cars north of us,” he said.

Which, as it turned out, was a smart move. Alaska State Troopers spotted the Cadillac a couple of hours later up near Talkeetna. Johnson was driving.

Robinson said the cash Johnson got away with hardly seems worth it considering Johnson, if convicted, will face multiple years in prison. Johnson wasn’t someone Wasilla police had had contact with before.

“I think he’s known in Fairbanks but he doesn’t have any prior issues down here,” Robinson said.

Johns was jailed on $5,000 bail Monday. Jail records Thursday afternoon showed he was still housed at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility.

Court records list four criminal cases against Johnson in Fairbanks, including a drunken driving case and a burglary case, between 2004 and 2008.

Robinson said his advice for store clerks and employees who find themselves in similar situations is to do what the robber says.

“First off, absolutely cooperate with them, give them whatever they want. There’s absolutely nothing in those buildings worth anyone’s life,” he said.

But, while cooperating, make sure you’re mentally taking notes. Note what the person is wearing and try to get a license plate number when he leaves.

“The more information you can give us the better,” Robinson said.

The last robbery in Wasilla, according to police reports, was over the summer when, on June 4, Phillip Christiansen, of Wasilla, allegedly robbed the Tesoro station in the same parking lot as the Kentucky Fried Chicken. Christiansen’s alleged haul was $28. He wasn’t alleged to have been armed but still demanded the money from clerks. Officers at the time described it as a “strong-arm robbery.”

Christiansen’s case is making its way through the court system and is set for trial later this month.

“Fortunately we don’t have very many actual armed robberies in Wasilla. Every once in awhile we’ll get one at a fast food or gas station-type place but very seldom compared to a lot of areas of the country,” Robinson said.

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