DA: Man guilty of robbing his mother at gunpoint

The district attorney said this afternoon that a man has been convicted of putting a loaded gun to his mother's head and demanding cash to pay for a parking ticket. Here's the release prosecutors sent out:

MAN FOUND GUILTY OF ROBBING HIS OWN FAMILY

Anchorage District Attorney Adrienne Bachman announced today, November 12, 2009 that an Anchorage Jury found 27 year old Cheng Saelee guilty of robbing his own mother at gunpoint then unlawfully contacting her from jail attempting to have her drop the charges.

According to Assistant District Attorney Gustaf Olson, who prosecuted the case, Saelee became agitated as he argued with his parents about them refusing to pay for a parking ticket. When his parents explained that they did not have the money to help him, Saelee went to his room and returned with a hand gun which he loaded, then pointed at his mother’s head, demanding money in exchange for her life.

Police officers arrested Saelee and remanded him to jail. From jail he placed phone calls to his parent’s home and told his brother to bring their mother down to talk with the D.A. to drop the charges so he would not have to post the $10,000 or obtain a third party custodian.

Saelee will be sentenced before Judge Jack Smith on February 19, 20010. Because the jury found that Saelee actually possessed a firearm during the commission of the robbery he faces a presumptive term of 7-11 years in prison for this offense.