Police, courts saw plenty of action in 2003

MAT-SU -- Local courts stayed busy during 2003 settling questions ranging from the state's possible culpability in the Miller's Reach fire to whether a pastor was justified in shooting and killing two burglars in a church.

Meanwhile, illegal drug use continued to plague the Valley and the Mat-Su Drug Team busted methamphetamine and marijuana growing operations. Alcohol remained a problem, too, with the Alaska State Troopers adding a special four-person DUI squad to patrol highways specifically looking for drunk drivers.

Following is a look at last year's news on the crime and punishment beat.

William T. Horsey III pleaded no contest in Palmer Superior Court to charges of first degree murder and first degree robbery in the death of Palmer resident Jane Sasseen, 65. Horsey made the plea bargain rather than face trial. Horsey, then 53, originally faced 12 felony charges related with Sasseen's killing in April, 2002. According to charging documents, Horsey told investigators he went to Sasseen's house intending only to rob her. He also said he used money from her accounts to buy drugs, charging documents said. Assistant District Attorney Bob Collins said Horsey was linked to other burglaries and thefts, including one involving a house fire. Horsey was sentenced in April to 119 years in prison.

A six-hour standoff ended with troopers arresting Daniel Stephan, 48, of Palmer, for third degree assault and reckless endangerment. A neighbor's barking dog apparently provoked the incident, in which shots were fired and Stephan holed up in a house near Mile 37 Glenn Highway.

Reindeer owned by Tom and Gene Williams of Bodenburg Butte were shot by a man who fled on a snowmachine. Caleb G. Bennett later pleaded no contest to third degree criminal misconduct, a class C felony; cruelty to animals; and fourth degree misconduct involving weapons. Bennett agreed to one year in prison and restitution of $15,500 as part of the plea bargain. Tom Williams said he had no idea why Bennett shot the animals, adding that no amount of money could make up for the loss. Five animals were killed and two were injured.

February

Arson destroyed the historic Matanuska Valley Farmers Cooperative Association building with Nathanael Row, 13, Matthew Brass, 14, and Holly Rudder, 14, charged with the crime. The blaze caused more than $1 million damage. Firefighters from several departments worked more than 24 hours to stop the fire.

Jason Dewall, 29, got a five-year prison sentence for firing more than 70 rounds at two troopers from a cabin in Big Lake. After apprehending Dewall, troopers said they found several chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine in the cabin. Dewall's girlfriend, Rebecca Odell, 45, earlier received a five-year suspended imposition of sentence for her part in the incident. Odell allegedly re-loaded for Dewall, who kept troopers at bay with two guns.

A 54-year-old woman, Grace Butler, died after being stabbed in the face and abdomen. Butler's son, 27-year-old Aaron Butler, was charged with first degree murder and second degree murder in the death. The attack occurred at the woman's home on Dewberry Drive off Vine Road.

A Palmer grand jury indicted Michael A. Linn, 27, Erica L. Perry, 24, and Alex E. Headrick, 35, for first degree murder in the January killing of Sean McIntire, a Palmer-area man who troopers said died of blunt-force trauma injuries to the head. McIntire was found dead in his house by a friend who troopers said went to the residence to check up on him.

April

A Houston man was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 years suspended for secretly video taping women and girls while they were showering or changing clothes in his house on Frog Lake. Timothy F. Christoffersen, also known as "T-Bone," had numerous tapes of such activities, according to troopers. One girl was recorded 12 times without her knowledge, troopers said.

Troopers completed their investigation of a May 2002 shooting that killed Michael Peterson, 22, of Wasilla, and the file was forwarded to the state of Alaska district attorney's office in Palmer to determine whether charges would be pursued. Peterson was shot to death along the Parks Highway near Gorilla Fireworks by Paul McGee, 48, of Houston, troopers said. The two men were in a dispute over an alleged assault involving Peterson and McGee's 18-year-old son James, troopers said. Peterson and the elder McGee spoke on the phone, then met each other at the highway pullout.

May

A Palmer Superior Court jury deliberated less than five hours before dismissing allegations that state of Alaska Division of Forestry firefighters were negligent in their handling of the Miller's Reach fire of 1996. Testimony in the case lasted seven weeks. The plaintiff's case included allegations that firefighters ignored several basic rules of firefighting in the 27 hours before the fire roared out of control. Meanwhile, a defense attorney told jurors the fire escaped primarily because of sudden, unexpected wind.

Bethany "Beth" Correira, whose family lives in Talkeetna, was reported missing after recently moving into an apartment near downtown Anchorage. The girl's mother, Linda Correira, went to visit her and discovered Beth was missing. Police investigated and family members canvassed Anchorage knocking on doors but no clues were found.

June

An inmate at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility was released to the care of his mother because state Department of Corrections personnel allegedly failed to give him proper medical care. Robert Parrish, who has diabetes, appeared ill during a court hearing before District Court Judge Ethan Windahl. Public Defender Carmen Spiropoulos said Parrish had an insulin pump but jail personnel allowed the insulin to run out.

A grand jury in Palmer upgraded one of the charges against Heather L. Simas, accused in the August 2002 collision of a car and ATV which left Shawn Himes paralyzed from the neck down. Simas, 29, originally faced one count of first degree assault, two counts of third degree assault and a charge of driving while intoxicated. However, the grand jury increased one of the third degree assault charges to first degree assault, a class A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

July

A Wasilla teen-ager was given two and a half years in prison for the beating of another teen that left the victim with permanent brain damage. In addition to that sentence for first degree assault, Ricky Shivers, who was 17 at the time of the crime, also received two years in prison for second degree assault related to the April 2002 incident. Shivers beat the other teen -- with whom Shivers lived -- because he had sex with Shivers' ex-girlfriend. The terms were to be served concurrently.

August

Wasilla resident Jane Bond won a $1.5 million wrongful death judgment in U.S. District Court in connection with the disappearance of her daughter five years earlier. The ruling by Judge John Sedwick said Ronald Tennison was responsible for the death of Bond's daughter, Jonnie Renee White. Two months earlier, Sedwick made a similar ruling with $1.5 million judgment against Tennison's former girlfriend, Sharon Raikoglo, 33.

September

Members of the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement's Mat-Su office arrested four people for operating a methamphetamine lab in a residence off Knik-Goose Bay Road. Taken into custody were Thomas N. Phillips, 37, and his wife, Phyllis L. Phillips, 31, who owned the house, as well as John R. Harris Jr., 33, and David T. Nelson, 36. Each was charged with second degree misconduct involving a controlled substance -- a class A felony carrying up to 20 years in prison.

Wasilla chiropractor Shane A. Massey was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for failure to file three years' federal income tax. U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline also fined Massey $7,500 and required him to file returns for 1968, when he made $85,000; 1997, when he made $150,000; and 1998, when he earned $130,000.

October

Former Wasilla bail bondsman John Elder was charged with 60 felony counts for allegedly overcharging dozens of customers in violation of state law. A grand jury in Palmer indicted Elder for theft, fraudulent insurance acts, falsifying business records and other acts from May 2000 to July 2002 while employed by Alaska Bail Bonds.

First degree assault charges were filed against Gordon K. Corvalho, 20, after he allegedly shot Aaron Reedy, 23, in the shoulder at a Wasilla residence. Corvalho was lodged at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility on $50,000 bail.

Big Lake pastor Phillip Mielke was acquitted of all charges -- two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminally negligent homicide -- in the shooting deaths of two men he caught burglarizing the Big Lake Community Chapel. Mielke acknowledged shooting Chris Palmer, 31, and Frank Jones, 23, during the April 24 incident and his trial focused on whether he had acted reasonably. Defense attorney Jim Gilmore said it was Mielke's job to protect the chapel, and he feared for his life as the two men rushed toward him in early morning darkness. Assistant district attorney Bob Collins, meanwhile, said a reasonable man would have called troopers to report the break-in and cited "a predator reaction" on Mielke's part. The incident fueled a long-running debate among Valley residents over the appropriateness of deadly force.

November

A jury found 20-year-old Jason A. Geisler of Big Lake guilty of three counts of first degree robbery, a class A felony, for his part in a January 2001 armed robbery and car-jacking. In the incident, a total of $178 was stolen at gunpoint from the Hatcher Pass Gateway Center store. Money also was taken at gunpoint from three teen-age boys who were flagged down in Wasilla. Two of the three robbers then left in the teens' car.

A federal court judge sentenced Bret F. Maness, 38, of Wasilla, to 10 years in prison for a wild spree in June 2001 during which Maness threatened to kill troopers and tried to escape in the woods near Eklutna. The eruption occurred when troopers went to Maness' home to serve a court order for his commitment to Alaska Psychiatric Institute.

Maness was out of jail on bail at the time pending appeal of a state conviction for misconduct involving weapons in the second degree and two counts of fourth degree misconduct involving a controlled substance.

Members of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation's Mat-Su office began treating as a homicide the death of David Glenn McKinney, 49, during a fire in his Big Lake home. The fire's cause was originally believed to be accidental, perhaps sparked by a wood stove. However, information collected later at the scene and during an autopsy caused officials to reconsider the cause.

A four-member DUI team started operating out of the Alaska State Troopers' Palmer office.

The special unit consisting of a sergeant and three troopers arrested nine people for driving under the influence during the first four shifts. "This DUI team reflects the Alaska State Troopers' continuing commitment to getting drunk drivers off the road," said Capt. Dennis Casanovas, the Palmer detachment commander. "Of course, all of our troopers will continue to look for impaired drivers, but this team will help keep the coverage where it's needed most."