Robber fires gun in Carrs

Home invasion also occupies Palmer police

January 31, 2006

MARY AMES\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - An armed robbery and a home invasion kept Palmer police busy over the weekend.

About 5:15 p.m. Saturday, a man went to the customer service counter at Carrs and held a gun on the clerk while demanding money, according to Kelly Turney, a Palmer police detective.

Before fleeing on foot, the man fired a shot in the store.

&#8220This was very brazen,” Turney said. &#8220There were lots of people in the store, and our response time was 90 seconds to two minutes.”

The gunman, whose face was visible, was described by Turney as dark-complected, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds.

&#8220We did recover some evidence,” Turney said, &#8220but we want tips from the public. They can call us or, if they want to remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers.”

In May 1999, Palmer Police Officer James Rowland was killed in the line of duty in Carrs parking lot, after he and a Slana man, Kim Cook, shot each other during a confrontation on the driveway ramp leading to the store. But that event never came up during this investigation.

&#8220That didn't cross anyone's mind,” Turney said. &#8220We focused first on making sure there were no injuries.”

The Alaska State Troopers and the Wasilla police also came to the scene to provide assistance, Turney said.

&#8220We want to get this guy off the streets,” he said. &#8220He is a threat to law enforcement and to the general public. This was the first armed robbery like this in the city in quite a while.”

It was, however, the third armed robbery of a Valley business this year. Two men robbed the Susitna Professional Pharmacy on Jan. 11 and a red-haired woman robbed The Store in the Butte with a handgun on Jan. 23.

The night before the robbery at Carrs, a home invasion occurred in the Highlands subdivision, south of West Arctic Avenue and east of Palmer High School, Turney said.

A young woman wearing a yellow coat knocked on the homeowner's door and asked to use the phone because she was locked out of her own house, according to Turney.

The woman was bundled up against the cold and it didn't strike the homeowner as odd that she couldn't see much of the woman's face. She did the neighborly thing and let the woman in, Turney said.

&#8220When she let her in, a male came in behind her and assaulted her with a weapon,” he said. &#8220She had to be taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for injuries to her head, neck and arm. And they took her prescription medications.”

The good news on this crime is that Turney knows who the male suspect is, although he hasn't made contact with the man yet, and the female accomplice remains unknown.

&#8220He's a Valley guy,” Turney said. &#8220The homeowner knew who he was. I've talked to his family and they know I want to talk to him.”

The homeowner, who Turney said is 51 years old, had just filled her prescriptions.

&#8220It's important to remind people to be very careful about not letting people know how many or what kinds of prescriptions they have filled, or when they have them filled,” he said. &#8220And keep them locked up or secured in some way in the house. A lot of people are on multiple medications, so we encourage folks to take extra precautions.”

Anyone with information on either of the crimes may call the Palmer police at 745-4811 or Mat-Su Crime Stoppers at 745-3333.

Contact Mary Ames at 352-2284 or mary.ames@frontiersman.com.