Man indicted for robbery, assault

PALMER -- A Palmer grand jury has indicted a 44-year-old man on charges of first- and second-degree robbery and fourth-degree assault in connection with an incident at the Williams Express store at Mile 49 Parks Highway.

Shawn Patrick Welch was named in the indictments handed down Feb. 4. He is charged with the Oct. 15, 2003, robbery in which a store employee told Alaska State Troopers that Welch demanded "give me your money" before hitting him in the face and head, knocking him to the ground.

The employee was transported to Valley Hospital for treatment of his injuries, charging documents said.

Trooper Timothy Hunyor said in an affidavit that store videos were used to identify Welch as he punched and kicked the store attendant with black, steel-toed boots.

"The defendant then jumped over the counter and removed the cash drawer from under the monitor," Hunyor's affidavit said, adding that Welch made off with $46 and the cash drawer itself.

Troopers later apprehended Welch wearing the same black waist-length jacket he wore in the video recording, court documents said. The coat had a red patch on the right upper arm and a "POW-MIA" patch on the back.

Welch is scheduled for trial in Palmer Superior Court on April 5.

First-degree robbery is a class A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Second-degree robbery is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.