Wasilla man arrested for armed robberies

WASILLA — A Wasilla man is facing two counts of armed robbery after he was arrested Friday following a joint investigation by the Wasilla Police Department and Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers say Michael Longiny III, 28, robbed a pair of Valley Country Store locations in Wasilla, hitting the Church Road store on Sept. 29 and the Bogard Road store on Nov. 14. Longiny was also charged with two counts of third-degree assault, one count of third-degree theft and evidence tampering. He was taken to Mat-Su Pretrial and held on $25,000 cash only bail with a court approved third party custodian requirement.

Troopers issued a dispatch on Saturday reporting Longiny’s arrest. The dispatch provided few details about how police tracked him down, but did say additional counts of robbery and assault are being investigated by WPD.

According to the manager of the Church Road store, a man came into the convenience store at around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 29 and brandished a hunting knife. He made off with $426.

Troopers did not immediately have details about the Nov. 14 robbery.