Teens charged in armed robberies

WASILLA -- Two teen-aged brothers and two 14-year-old girls are facing multiple felony charges after allegedly committing two separate armed robberies within blocks of each other in Wasilla.

On Wednesday, a Palmer grand jury indicted 18-year-old Aaron Tolen and his younger sibling, Aric Tolen, 16, on four first-degree robbery counts and four counts of third-degree assault stemming from the Sept. 14 incidents, according to court records.

The two 14-year-old girls, Rachel A. Juarez and Johnni M. Waters, were each petitioned Sept. 14 on one count each of first-degree robbery and third-degree assault, according to juvenile disclosure records.

Both brothers are being held at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility in Palmer in lieu of $16,000 bail and a court-approved third-party custodian. The 14-year-old girls are being held at Mat-Su Youth Facility, said Wasilla investigator Jean Achee.

The Tolen brothers were arraigned Friday in Palmer Superior Court.

The four were apparently driving around in a bright orange 1990 Chevy Caprice at around 10 p.m., when they pulled into the parking lot of the Wasilla McDonald's outlet.

Each of the Tolen boys were wearing blue bandanas over their faces, Achee said, when one of the youths pointed a loaded .44-caliber revolver at a teen-ager walking across the parking lot.

After stealing property from the victim, Achee said the four youths drove to the corner of Yenlo Street and Swanson Avenue, near Chimo Guns, and encountered three other teen-agers walking down the street.

Achee said the alleged robbers called the teens over to the orange Caprice, then got out of the car and held up the three pedestrians.

According to charging documents, the 14-year-old girls were yelling at the victims and threatened them, saying the victims would be shot if they didn't give them money and property.

While none of the four victims had money, Achee said the four alleged robbers stole personal items, including a knife, backpack and clothes.

Wasilla police received a 911 call soon after the second robbery at around 10:23 p.m. Less than five minutes later, responding officers located the orange vehicle near Mile 42.5 Parks Hwy., Achee said.

"They were basically driving a beacon as a getaway car," Achee said of the Caprice, which had previously been used as a taxicab.

According to court documents, Aaron Tolen was the driver and told a Wasilla officer there was a pistol in the car that belonged to him. Police found the loaded handgun inside the car, court records stated.

All four youths denied they were involved in the robberies, court records stated, however, one of the girls was allegedly wearing a jacket stolen from one of the teen-aged victims.

Achee said the profits from the two alleged crimes totaled approximately $50.