Homer Police Chief Mark Robl says a man arrested last week after a chase is being charged with armed robbery. 30-year-old Dellan Vanbuskirk, of Homer is being charged with two counts, says Robl.
“The first count is for the robbery of the Short Stop store at the top of Baycrest hill and the second count is for the robbery of an acquaintance of his which occurred out in the Anchor Point area,” said Robl.
Robl says Vanbuskirk is also a suspect in other crimes. Alaska State Troopers and Homer Police arrested Vanbuskirk after a 2-mile chase in Anchor Point a week ago. Vanbuskirk had an arrest warrant for a charge of driving while his license was revoked as well as for parole violations. He faces additional charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and attempted escape. A petition to revoke his probation for a previous burglary conviction has also been filed.
On December 28th Homer’s Fat Olives Espresso was robbed at gunpoint. Vanbuskirk is a suspect in that case, says Robl. The Short Stop Tesoro store on Baycrest Hill was held up on January 6th. Vanbuskirk robbed the acquaintance at gun point on January 16th. In addition, police say he’s a suspect in an additional burglary in Homer.
Robl says Vanbuskirk tried to escape during his transport from Homer Jail to Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai. Right after the van driver turned onto K-Beach Road, Robl says, Vanbuskirk said he was sick, so the jailer stopped the van to let him out.
“He did appear to be sick. He got out of the van and fell to his knees. After that episode was over as they were trying to get him back into the van he put one step up on the entry area of the van and took off running down the side of the road. Our jail officer was able to catch him after a short foot pursuit and safely got him back inside,” said Robl.
Robl says that Vanbuskirk told police during an interview that he is addicted drugs.
“At one point during an interview with Vanbuskirk, he told police that he is addicted to heroin and methamphetamine and has a habit where he consumed four to five tenths of heroin per day. That equates to approximately to a $200 to $250 dollar per day habit,” said Robl.
Vanbuskirk is being held at Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai pending arraignment. According to Alaska Court View Vanbuskirk has a criminal history dating back to 2000.
Daysha Eaton is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Daysha Eaton holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College, and a M.A. from the University of Southern California. Daysha got her start in radio at Seattle public radio stations, KPLU and KUOW. Before coming to KBBI, she was the News Director at KYUK in Bethel. She has also worked as the Southcentral Reporter for KSKA in Anchorage.
Daysha's work has appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", PRI's "The World" and "National Native News". She's happy to take assignments, and to get news tips, which are best sent via email.
Daysha became a journalist because she believes in the power of storytelling. Stories connect us and they help us make sense of our world. They shed light on injustice and they comfort us in troubled times. She got into public broadcasting because it seems to fulfill the intention of the 4th Estate and to most effectively apply the freedom of the press granted to us through the Constitution. She feels that public radio has a special way of moving people emotionally through sound, taking them to remote places, introducing them to people they would not otherwise meet and compelling them to think about issues they might ordinarily overlook.
