Alaska State Troopers arrested a man described as “armed and dangerous” near Healy on Friday night, following a high-speed chase and a 28-hour search after he fled into the woods.
Troopers arrested Vincent Roberts, 40, on a $500,000 arrest warrant on Friday. Word spread quickly in the roadside community of Healy when the search began Thursday night. Homeowners locked doors, kept their eyes open for hitchhikers and other strangers, and communicated closely with neighbors. Troopers thanked residents Saturday for tips that led to Roberts’ apprehension.
Here is how it all unfolded.
Troopers patrolling the Parks Highway conducted a traffic stop near Mile 189 Parks Highway at approximately 7:17 p.m. Thursday for driving 79 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone. The driver, Roberts, of Fairbanks, initially stopped the car and admitted he didn’t have a driver’s license.
Troopers saw drug paraphernalia in the car, and Roberts said that he and his passenger drove from Fairbanks to Anchorage Wednesday night and were driving back on Thursday.
When troopers walked back up to the car, Roberts and his passenger put their seatbelts on and drove away.
Roberts reportedly sped more than 90 miles per hour on the Parks Highway, drove into the oncoming lane of traffic and going airborne more than once. Alaska State Trooper David Bozman wrote in court documents that he was concerned Roberts was going to “cause a head-on collision multiple times.”
Troopers tried to use spikes to deflate the car tires near Mile 209.5 Parks Highway, but Roberts swerved, almost went off the road and continued driving north.
Roberts’ passenger got out of the car outside Denali National Park. Park rangers saw a tumbler in the bushes near where the woman got out of the car and found several clear baggies containing methamphetamine in the container.
Troopers chased Roberts for 56 miles on the Parks. Roberts allegedly did not stop until troopers performed a pursuit intervention technique, a PIT maneuver, causing Roberts’ vehicle to run off the road near Mile 244, just south of Healy.
Roberts reportedly ran away on foot into the woods while carrying something in his hand, which troopers said was “possibly a firearm.” Roberts’ passenger told troopers that he was armed with a 9mm handgun.
Troopers located 135.44 grams of methamphetamine in the woman’s purse and in a beverage tumbler.
He was on the run for nearly 28 hours, apparently repeatedly trying to hitchhike north. Several residents reported seeing him and those tips led troopers to locating him just north of Dry Creek. He would run out of the woods to try to catch a ride and then return to the woods if the driver didn’t stop, Sgt. Joel Miner said.
The sounds residents reported hearing were not gunshots, Miner said. The sounds were a type of chemical munition that releases a kind of pepper spray, intended to flush him out of hiding. Eventually it worked and he was arrested, covered in mosquito bites when he emerged, Miner said.
“We relentlessly pursued him for 28 hours,” he said.
According to Miner, troopers seized a gun and a significant amount of drugs.
Roberts was facing charges of felony failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer, felony third-degree drugs misconduct and misdemeanor reckless driving.
Troopers request that anyone who took evasive action from Roberts’ driving on the Parks Highway Thursday to call Trooper David Bozman at 907-451-5100.
Assisting in the search for Roberts were Troopers from Fairbanks, the Fairbanks Criminal Suppression Unit, AWT, Helo 2, National Park Service Rangers, an NPS helicopter, the Northern AST SWAT Team, AK Railroad Police, Troopers from the MatSu Valley, K9 Blitz, Tri-Valley EMS/Fire and other partners.
