A Homer jury convicted 61-year-old Bret Herrick of Anchor Point Wednesday, July 18th, for the attempted murder of an Alaska State Trooper.
Evidence at the trial showed that, on August 23, 2021, Bret Herrick was seen outside the Warehouse Grocery Store in Anchor Point by an employee who knew that Herrick had warrants out for his arrest. Alaska State Troopers responded to the Warehouse to arrest Herrick, who had been known to carry weapons and was under Court-ordered conditions of release which prohibited possession of any weapons. The first trooper who arrived at the Warehouse attempted to place Herrick under arrest.
Herrick attempted to run away, and after being tackled, pulled out a pistol that he was concealing and shot the trooper 5 times with it. He then raised his pistol towards a second trooper as that trooper was arriving at the Warehouse.
Herrick then fled into the woods. After an extensive manhunt, Herrick was arrested in the woods near his house the next morning. Thanks to heroic efforts by a Warehouse employee, emergency medical personal, and physicians from Homer and Anchorage – all of whom testified at the trial – the trooper’s life was saved.
In addition to finding Herrick guilty of attempted murder, the jury convicted Herrick of all the other crimes for which he was previously charged. This included three counts of assault in the first degree, one count of assault in the third degree – for raising his pistol towards the second trooper, escape in the second degree, resisting arrest, and two counts of violating conditions of release for his possession of a firearm and bayonet, both violations of the Court’s order prohibiting possession weapons.
Herrick’s trial was conducted over 7 days, and concluded Wednesday with the conviction.
The Court scheduled Herrick’s sentencing for November 1, 2023. Herrick faces a sentence of 7 to 99 years for attempted murder. He faces an additional sentence of up to five years for assault in the third degree, up to ten years for escape in the second degree, and up to ninety days each for the violating conditions of release convictions.