Crime & Courts

Troopers: Suspect in Wasilla armed robberies was looking for attention

WASILLA -- The 28-year-old Wasilla man arrested in a string of armed robberies in the Valley said his acts were a "cry for help" and meant to impress his estranged wife, according to court documents filed in the case.

Alaska State Troopers arrested Michael A. Longiny III late last week after serving search warrants at his ex-wife's apartment in Wasilla, where they set up surveillance and stopped his 1995 Jeep as he pulled in, according to an affidavit filed Saturday at the Palmer courthouse by trooper Ronald Hayes. Longiny's ex-wife pulled in behind him in a white minivan.

The robberies began in late September. Troopers say a man matching Longiny's description walked into the Valley Country Store on Church Road around 1:15 a.m., threatened the female clerk with a large silver butcher knife and demanded money, his face hidden by a black scarf.

The robber pushed a male customer out of the way at the counter, store manager Tiffany Caswell said. Two other customers were also in the store; one stayed behind during the robbery.

The clerk, a military veteran, was a little rattled, Caswell said. "She was more afraid for the customer than she was for herself."

The suspect got $425 in cash and a pack of Marlboro Reds before fleeing the store once the clerk hit a panic button, according to Hayes' affidavit.

About six weeks later, on Nov. 14, a man hiding his face with a bandana robbed the other Valley Country Store location on Seldon and Wasilla-Fishook roads with what looked like a black semi-automatic handgun, according to the affidavit. The frightened clerk handed over about $300 and the robber left in a white sedan.

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Hayes described a series of attempted robberies in Wasilla that followed:

On Nov. 15, someone robbed Tan Alaska on the Parks Highway at gunpoint, getting cash from the cash drawer. On Nov. 17, someone with a bandana on his face walked into Famous Footwear in the Target mall, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money. But the clerk didn't think the gun was real so the robber ran out of the store and got into a white 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix.

That day, someone wearing the same clothes walked into Rippie World on the Parks, unsuccessfully tried to get the clerk's attention, then left. The clerk warned the business next door, Arctic Pull Tabs, and they locked the doors when the man showed up.

Troopers and Wasilla police then tracked down Longiny by watching surveillance tapes of area businesses and linking the Grand Prix to his residence, the affidavit says.

He initially denied any robberies but ultimately confessed to those at Valley Country Store, according to the trooper. He also said a white minivan was used as a getaway car in the first robbery. He said an associate did the other Wasilla robberies but he wasn't there.

Longiny said he got a share of the cash stolen from the Country Store locations "to buy dope," the affidavit said.

"He admitted that it wasn't like him to do the robberies, but it was a cry for help and an attempt to gain the attention of his estranged wife," Hayes wrote. Longiny said the gun he used was a fake airsoft gun.

He was charged with two counts each of first-degree robbery, third-degree assault and third-degree theft as well as a count of evidence tampering for disposing of the clothing he'd used before his arrest.

Longiny remained jailed as of Wednesday on $25,000 cash bail and a court-appointed third party custodian.

Zaz Hollander

Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com.

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