Two US Coast Guard members shot dead in Kodiak, AK

[Bass ackwards]

For now, I guess this falls under the "What the hell?!"category until we get more information.
This Reuters article reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act:

U.S. Coast Guard members shot dead
By Reuters

Two members of the U.S. Coast Guard were found shot to death at an air base on Kodiak Island in Alaska on Thursday, an d the installation was placed on a security alert, the Coast Guard said.

The two were found dead at a communications facility at the Coast Guard Base Support Unit Kodiak, and authorities were looking for a potential suspect who might be at large, according to a Coast Guard statement.

Because circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear, the Coast Guard said the base, located about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage, was placed on lockdown as a precaution, as were nearby schools in the area.

“Since we don’t have all the details, we strongly advise that all Kodiak residents remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement officials,” Coast Guard Captain Jesse Moore, the commanding officer of the base, said in the statement.

“We are deeply saddened that we lost two shipmates,” he added. “This is a rare occurrence and we are going to do everything possible to ensure we find out exactly what happened.”

About 6,300 people live on the island’s main town of Kodiak, where the base is located. The installation ranks as the largest in the entire Coast Guard system, according to the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce and Kodiak Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Nearly 1,000 active-duty personnel, and hundreds of civilian employees, are stationed at the installation, which serves as the principal base of operations for Coast Guard patrol and search-and-rescue missions in the region.

Article link:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2012/04/12/19625626.html


Condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of these two individuals.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of these two individuals.

Seconded, 

 

[bick]

Sad news, RiP.

 

[Rifleman62]

The US Weather channel is commencing season two of "Coastguard Alaska" on 18 April. Season one had many clips of Kodiak and the personnel there.

 

[OldSolduer]

Condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of these two individuals.

RIP Coasties. 

 

[Rifleman62]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-crime-alaskabre8411lr-20120502,0,4254045.story

FBI, volunteers search Coast Guard station in Alaska murder case

Yereth Rosen - Reuters - May 2, 2012

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Scores of volunteers on Wednesday helped the FBI search Alaska's Kodiak Island near a U.S. Coast Guard communications station where two workers were killed in April, looking for clues in the still-unsolved case.

An FBI spokesman declined to say what the roughly 120 volunteers were looking for in the search, which comes three weeks after the two men were found shot to death inside the station on the Coast Guard's sprawling base on Kodiak Island, about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The slayings of Petty Officer First Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle marked the first fatal shootings at a Coast Guard facility since 2001, when a civilian on remote St. Paul Island in Alaska shot and killed the commander of the Coast Guard station there.

"We've got to cover a large area of ground and we just thought it was the easiest way to get a large number of eyes on the ground," FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez said of the volunteer search.

Those helping out were told to look for "anything inorganic that you wouldn't expect to see out there, anything out of the ordinary," he said. The call for searchers included a request for metal detectors.

No arrests have been made in the case and no suspects were publicly named. However, the FBI has concluded that the island community of Kodiak is safe, Gonzalez said.

"Based on the investigation to date, there's nothing to indicate that the community itself or anyone else is in danger," he said.

Gonzalez declined to comment on news reports that investigators had searched the Kodiak home of one of the victims' co-workers, and he would not say if authorities had identified a suspect.

 

[Bass ackwards]

Curiouser and curiouser.

Thanks for the update R62.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Those helping out were told to look for "anything inorganic that you wouldn't expect to see out there, anything out of the ordinary," he said. The call for searchers included a request for metal detectors.

Sounds like they were looking for a weapon.

 

[Rifleman62]

http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3760&Itemid=2

2 May 12

Volunteers Search for Evidence in ComSta Double Homicide

Well over a hundred volunteers, mostly Coast Guard members and family, gathered early this morning at the Communications Station to help the FBI search for evidence related to the murders of Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle. The two men were found dead the morning of April 12th by coworkers at the ComSta.

            The volunteers were split into groups of twenty and then dispatched to various sections of Anton Larsen Bay Road, beginning at the ComSta and going all the way out to the main road, Rezanof Drive West.. They were instructed to comb both sides of the road 15 to 20 feet out and to watch for a gun or pieces of a gun, clothing, boots, plastic bags or anything else that looked out of place. Nearly a dozen people showed up with metal detectors.

            The search ended just after 11 this morning. A small group of volunteers headed over to the Dumpsters in Bells Flats to search. No evidence was found in either area.



April 12, 2012 Two Dead in USCG ComSta Kodiak Shooting

April 13, 2012 Coast Guard Releases Names of Shooting Victims

April 16, 2012 Community Meeting Over Slayings Called for Tonight 

April 17, 2012 Town Hall Meeting Provides Few Answers About Murders

April 18, 2012 Memorial Held for Murdered Coastguardsmen

April 20, 2012 FBI Looking for Info on Two Cars in Connection to ComSta Killings

April 25, 2012 Investigators Need Information on Car Possibly Connected to Murders 

 

[Rifleman62]

http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/usatoday/article/1924305

Man arrested in Alaska Coast Guard base shootings

16 Feb 13

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska man was arrested Friday in last year's shooting deaths at a Coast Guard communications station on Kodiak Island that left two employees dead, the U.S. attorney said.

James Michael Wells of Kodiak is accused in a federal murder complaint of killing Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Boatswain's Mate Richard Belisle on April 12.

Another Coast Guard member found the victims shortly after the two would have arrived for work at the station, which monitors radio traffic from ships and planes. Their bodies were found in the rigger building, where antennas are repaired.

The Kodiak Island Coast Guard base is home to cutters, helicopters and rescue swimmers that aid mariners in the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean.

FBI agents immediately flew to Kodiak Island from Anchorage, about 250 miles away, to investigate the case as a double homicide.

Few details were released in the weeks after the deaths, although FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez in Anchorage said shortly after the murders that there was "no credible evidence" that the community was in danger. He also said there was no indication the homicides were related to terrorism.

Wells' arrest came after "an extensive investigation" led by the FBI and the Coast Guard Investigative Service, with support from the Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said in a statement.

Wells is expected to appear in court next week in Anchorage, Loeffler said.

No one was immediately reachable by phone Friday evening at the U.S. attorney's office to provide additional details.

Hopkins, 41, was an electronics technician from Vergennes, Vt. Belisle, 51, was a former chief petty officer who continued service to the Coast Guard as a civilian employee.

Reached by telephone Friday evening, Gonzalez declined to discuss specifics of the case, saying the complaint and underlying affidavit are under court seal. He said he expected those documents to be unsealed next week.

Gonzalez declined to comment on a possible motive, what led investigators to focus on Wells or whether any other arrests were expected.

"I just can't comment on anything about this case," he said.

In their jobs with the Coast Guard, Belisle and Hopkins were involved with the installation, maintenance, repair and management of electronic equipment.

Approximately 60 enlisted personnel and civilians work at the base's communications station. That's a small fraction of the estimated 4,000 Guardsmen, families and civilian employees at the Kodiak Island base, the service's largest in the nation.

 

[Journeyman]

I missed this when it initially came out.

I spent a week in Kodiak, and had the awesome pleasure of talking with Dr. Martin Nemiroff when he was doing his research on hypothermia and cold-water drowning.

Kodiak has all the joys and hardship of the arctic, without the RSM-mentality of larger military places like Elmendorf/Ft Richardson

 

[Rifleman62]

http://articles.ktuu.com/2013-02-19/hopkins_37185933

James Wells Arraigned in 2012 Kodiak Coast Guard Murders

February 19, 2013|By Chris Klint | Channel 2 News

       
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A man accused of fatally shooting two men at a Coast Guard communications station near Kodiak last year, following a series of personnel disputes, was arraigned in federal court Tuesday.

James Michael Wells, 61, pleaded not guilty to all six charges against him including two counts each of first-degree murder, murder of a federal employee or officer, and possession and use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He was arrested Friday in the murders of Coast Guard Electrician’s Mate First Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Boatswain’s Mate Richard Belisle.

A criminal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Elizabeth Oberlander says Wells drove his own white Dodge pickup truck to the Kodiak State Airport on April 12, 2012, transferring to his wife’s blue Honda CR-V -- both vehicles of interest in the 10-month investigation -- before he drove past a surveillance camera at Coast Guard Communications Station Kodiak.

Alaska State Troopers responding to an emergency call from the station at 7:47 a.m. that day found Hopkins and Belisle dead in the station’s rigger shop, about 100 yards away from the main facility, each with gunshot wounds.

“After returning to his home, Wells put his alibi in effect, placing calls to his supervisors and co-workers, including both dead men, claiming that he would be late because of a flat tire,” Oberlander wrote.

That alibi didn’t pan out after a forensic examination of the tire in question, according to the FBI.

“The forensic examination revealed that nail was inserted by a nail gun, and the tire had never been driven on after the nail was inserted,” Oberlander wrote.

A man who took over supervision of the rigger shop in July 2010, then spoke with investigators after the shootings, is identified in the complaint as “Witness B.” While Oberlander wrote that the supervisor described Wells as "the most knowledgeable antenna mechanic on Kodiak Island and possibly the entire Coast Guard," he also said Wells needed to be the "top dog." He said that Wells, the only other civilian besides Belisle working in the shop, came into conflict with Hopkins in 2011.

“It became apparent to Witness B shortly after he took over that the ‘civilians’ were running the shop,” Oberlander wrote. “(He) made it clear to Hopkins that Hopkins was in charge. Hopkins' assumption of a leadership role in the Rigger Shop caused tension between Hopkins and Wells. Wells was used to acting with little supervision.”

Tensions escalated in July 2011, when the supervisor overrode a decision by Wells not to install devices required by the Environmental Protection Agency on remote communications towers.

“Wells argued with Witness B over the decision and yelled at anyone who would listen that Witness B wasn’t letting him do his job,” Oberlander wrote.

Wells became ill in August 2011, and was out of the office until January 2012 due to the removal of his gall bladder and hernia surgery -- time during which Belisle, Hopkins and the supervisor learned more about the shop’s operations.

“In addition, other staff members learned to rely on existing maintenance manuals, and realized that they could operate the Rigger Shop without Wells,” Oberlander wrote.

During the same time period, Wells got in trouble after a Coast Guard fuel card was found in his desk in September. An investigation at the time determined that Wells had fueled his personal vehicle using the card, an allegation which he denied. In February 2012, Wells was asked to sign a letter of caution over the incident at a meeting with his supervisor, as well as the station’s commander and executive officer.

“The Commanding Officer informed Wells that he no longer trusted Wells,” Oberlander wrote. “Wells repeatedly denied the accusation and repeated the phrase ‘It just doesn't sit right.’ Wells was asked to sign the Letter of Caution, which he refused to do. All the participants of the meeting except for Wells left the table. Wells remained at the table alone and eventually signed the letter.”

In November 2011, Wells’ supervisor discovered that trees near the station were being “collared,” causing them to slowly die, despite not posing a threat to the building or its equipment. Wells, who friends said heated his home with a wood-burning stove, had been harvesting the trees as firewood; he was asked to sign a letter of understanding that such trees were not to be harvested.

“Witness B informed Wells that things were not looking good for him because of the tree collaring issue and the fuel card incident and that it was ‘time to get in line,’” Oberlander wrote. “Witness B and Wells had a heated discussion which was loud enough to be overheard by individuals outside Witness B's office. During the argument, Witness B informed Wells that the only reason he wasn't getting fired was because there were no cameras at the (base) gas station. Wells thanked Witness B for his honesty.”

The disciplinary issues led the supervisor to decide in January 2012 not to take Wells with him to the National Association of Tower Erectors’ annual conference, although Hopkins and Belisle would be going. In another heated argument, the supervisor said he was “sick” of Wells’ attitude.

Both Hopkins and Belisle became alienated from Wells during the string of incidents. One witness said Hopkins was frustrated by having to constantly fix Wells’ work. Belisle approached the supervisor in November 2011 and asked that people stop referring to Wells and Belisle as “Jim and Rich” in reference to their status as civilians, instead suggesting they say “Jim or Rich.”

Wells was evasive when investigators asked him about the number and caliber of weapons he possessed, initially saying he owned a 7mm Magnum rifle and a .45-caliber ACP pistol. When his home was searched, investigators found a Ruger .44 Magnum revolver and a Ruger .45 ACP pistol, as well as three shotguns and seven rifles -- all of which he turned over to Alaska State Troopers “for safety and security.”

Forensic examination of a .44 round recovered from Belisle’s body indicated that it came from a Smith and Wesson, Taurus or Llama revolver -- none of which were recovered from Wells’ home.

“The findings of the State criminologist establish that the .44 Ruger revolver recovered from Wells' residence is not the murder weapon,” Oberlander wrote. “Thus, law enforcement does not have possession of the murder weapon at this time.”

Federal officials also didn’t find any blood in Wells’ pickup truck when he consented to a brief search of the vehicle.

After Wells said he had stopped near the airport en route to work to check a flat tire, then went home to get a spare tire and jack, federal agents timed the trip from the station to the airport at two to four minutes, with an estimated delay of two more minutes to look at his tire and start driving home. They believed the total time for the drive would come to about six to 10 minutes -- versus surveillance footage at the Kodiak base’s main gate showing Wells heading north at 6:48 a.m., but not heading south until 7:22 a.m.

 

[Rifleman62]

Death penalty not sought in Coast Guard shooting

August 6, 2013

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal prosecutors say they will not seek the death penalty against a Kodiak man charged in the fatal shootings of two men at a Coast Guard station on Kodiak Island.

James Wells is awaiting a February 2014 trial for the fatal shootings of Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle in April 2012.

KTUU says assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan informed the court in a Monday filing of the decision to not seek the death penalty.

The 62-year-old Wells faces six felony charges: two counts each of first-degree murder, murder of a U.S. officer and use of a firearm in a violent crime. He has pleaded innocent to all the charges.

In May, a federal judge denied bail for Wells.

___

Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com

 

[Rifleman62]

http://www.klewtv.com/news/national/Alaska-man-gets-4-life-terms-in-Coast-Guard-deaths-266267841.html

Alaska man gets 4 life terms in Coast Guard deaths

By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press Published: Jul 8, 2014

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A 63-year-old Alaska man has been sentenced to four consecutive life terms after being convicted in the shooting deaths of two co-workers at a Coast Guard communications station on Alaska's Kodiak Island.

James Wells was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Anchorage. Wells was found guilty in April by a federal jury in the 2012 deaths of Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle.

"A tragedy occurred, and we all suffered for it," Wells said during sentencing. "And I know I'm innocent of this crime."

Both widows of the victims also spoke, saying they hoped Wells "rots in hell."

In the circumstantial case, it took a jury only one day to find Wells guilty of two counts each of first-degree murder, murder of an officer or employee of the United States, and possession of a firearm in a crime of violence.

Federal prosecutors earlier said they would not seek the death penalty if Wells was convicted.

Kodiak Island, about 250 miles south of Anchorage, is home to the largest Coast Guard Air Station in the Pacific. The double homicide took place 3 miles away at the base's communications station, where personnel monitor radio traffic from ships and planes.

The victims were found in the station's rigger shop, where antennas are built and repaired.

Hopkins, 41, was an electronics technician from Vergennes, Vermont. Belisle, 51, was a former chief petty officer who continued service to the Coast Guard as a civilian employee.

During the 19-day trial, prosecutors contended Wells, a Coast Guard civilian technician, resented the growing influence of Belisle and Hopkins in the shop where he was a nationally recognized antenna expert. Prosecutors said Wells meticulously planned an alibi, sneaked onto the communications station and gunned the men down on April 12, 2012.

According to the government's theory, after the shootings, Wells made it home and called Hopkins' work phone, leaving a message saying he would be late for work because of a flat tire.

Prosecutors said the flat tire was a ruse to give Wells a cover story for committing the murders.

According to authorities, Wells told the FBI he started driving to work, detected a soft tire, stopped at a hotel near the Kodiak airport entrance, checked the tire and returned home to change it.

Unbeknownst to Wells, a security camera at the nearby Coast Guard main gate recorded his truck heading for the communication station shortly before 7 a.m. and driving in the opposite direction toward his home 34 minutes later.

Wells' wife was out of town the day of the shooting, and her blue SUV was parked at the Kodiak airport not far from the communications station. Investigators believe a blue vehicle seen in blurry security footage belonged to Wells' wife and concluded he switched cars, waited for Hopkins to drive by, followed him to the communications station and shot him and Belisle.

Federal public defender Rich Curtner said Wells suffered from chronic diarrhea following gall bladder surgery and was delayed the morning of the murders because he spent 20 minutes in a bathroom of a commuter airline.

Wells made no mention of using an airport bathroom to the FBI.

Curtner and defense attorney Peter Offenbecher of Seattle contended authorities immediately focused on Wells and ignored other possible suspects. They said prosecutors had no eyewitnesses, no confession, no murder weapon and no physical evidence linking Wells to the homicides.

Wells served eight years in the Navy and 13 with the Coast Guard. Upon discharge in 1990, he was hired as a civilian employee.