Crime & Courts

2 more suspects arrested in Sept. beating of teen

Update, 10 a.m. Tuesday:

Two men being sought in the beating of James Clinton were arrested overnight, Anchorage Police said. Two others were already in custody.

Tye Manning, 21, turned himself in near police headquarters on Tudor Road on Monday evening, police said in an email.

Trevvor Trobough, 20, was arrested just after 3 a.m. at the Brother Francis Shelter, police said, after staff members recognized him from media coverage and called the police.

Earlier story:

Anchorage police have charged four men in the beating of an 18-year-old that officers found in a downtown house set for demolition in September. Detectives are still looking for two of the alleged assailants.

The attack put the victim, James Clinton, in a coma, police said. His lawyer told the Daily News last week that Clinton was maintaining consciousness and recovering after having almost died.

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Charged in the case are 19-year-old Iosia Fiso, 20-year-old Trevvor Trobough, 21-year-old Tye Manning, and 22-year-old Michael Liufau, a police spokeswoman said in a written statement Monday. The four face one count each of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and hindering prosecution. Liufau also faces a count of coercion, the police statement said.

Trobough and Manning are still on the loose, police said.

Officers found their alleged victim unconscious and battered inside the empty house after someone slipped an anonymous note under the door of the University of Alaska Anchorage Police Department the night of Sept. 16. Anchorage police found Clinton unconscious in the house, at 807 Barrow St., a short time later.

"The note indicated that the tipster wanted authorities to know about a teen who had recently been beaten and left to die inside an abandoned building," police said in a statement.

Covenant House, an outreach program and shelter for homeless teenagers, owned the building and had plans to demolish it three days later to turn the property into a parking lot. Police said at the time that detectives had collected the evidence they needed and the demolition went ahead as scheduled.

It remained unclear late Monday what connection the men charged in Clinton's assault might have had with Covenant House, with each other or with Clinton. Court records indicate Clinton was a past client of Covenant House.

A detective working on the case did not immediately return calls or emails seeking comment Monday. Police spokeswoman Dani Myren said members of the community had offered up information that helped the detectives.

"They conducted a lot of interviews of witnesses and people with information, but they also received a lot of information through tips," Myren said.

Court records show Fiso is charged with committing first-degree robbery Sept. 15, the day before Clinton's beating. Myren said the alleged robbery does not appear to be connected to the assault case.

"That's not directly related to this incident," she said.

Fiso was already jailed when police charged him in the Clinton case, Myren said. Police arrested Liufau on Thursday, she said.

Detectives are still looking for Trobough and Manning. Police described Trobough as 6 feet 2 inches tall and 160 pounds, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Manning is 5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes, police said.

The two men are known to spend time in Town Square Park, on the Delaney Park Strip, and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, police said.

Police ask that anyone with information on the whereabouts of Trobough and Manning call dispatchers at 786-8900. Anonymous tips can be delivered Crime Stoppers at anchoragecrimestoppers.com or by calling 561-STOP.

Reach Casey Grove at casey.grove@adn.com or 257-4343. Twitter updates: twitter.com/kcgrove.

By CASEY GROVE

casey.grove@adn.com

Casey Grove

Casey Grove is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. He left the ADN in 2014.

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