Alaska State Troopers

Alaska State Troopers responded to a Friday night crash that seriously injured a Palmer couple and teenager and a five-year-old boy near Wasilla. The crash happened around 11:03 p.m. Friday on Bogard Road near N. Merciful Circle. Beth Ipsen, AST spokesperson, said a Ford Taurus heading west bound on Bogard Rd lost control and crashed into a Toyota Prius traveling east bound on the same road. Dewayne Joehnk, 56, and Beatrice Joehnk, 53, and daughter Jorga Joehnk, 13, were inside the Prius and suffered serious injuries - all three were from Palmer.

Alaska State Troopers say a man was shot to death near Palmer early Thursday morning. Investigators have spoken with the person believed responsible, but no arrests or charges have yet been filed. Troopers were notified of the shooting at 3:47 a.m. Joshua M. Lacy, 26, died at the scene. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene and is continuing to investigate the shooting. Lacy's next of kin has been notified. alaska-state-troopers-investigate-fatal-palmer-shooting-110311 Alaska State Troopers Investigate Fatal Palmer Shooting Alaska State Troopers, shooting, fatal By Chris Klint KTUU.com ANCHORAGE, Alaska   Alaska State Troopers say a man was shot to death near Palmer early Thursday morning.

Alaska State Troopers have identified a body found last week in North Pole as that of a 51-year-old man. Troopers said in a dispatch Tuesday evening that the remains, which were recovered Friday after an industrial property was cleared of snow, are those of Samuel Dent. The cause of Dent's death remains under investigation.

Alaska State Troopers are looking for a man who was last seen Friday at his home in Houston, before his vehicle was found this week in Anchorage. AST spokesperson Megan Peters says 30-year-old Loy Suthammavong is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds and has black hair and eyes. His 1998 four-door Honda sedan was located Tuesday. An AST helicopter was conducting an aerial search of locations in the Anchorage area Wednesday afternoon. Anyone with information regarding Suthammavong is asked to call troopers in Palmer at 907-352-5401, in reference to case number 11-121115, or the Alaska Bureau of Investigation's Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-478-9333.

Alaska State Troopers arrested a total of 65 people for DUIs during three weeks of holiday enforcement efforts, concluding a campaign that ran from Dec. 12. to Jan. 1. According to AST spokesperson Megan Peters, the 63 misdemeanor and two felony DUI arrests came during statewide efforts that also saw 57 drivers charged with driving with suspended or revoked licenses. Troopers determined that an additional 267 drivers who were contacted under the Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately program were not intoxicated.

Alaska State Troopers are seeking a 45-year-old Kiana man wanted for allegedly firing at a crowd following a woman's suspicious death in the village Friday night. According to AST spokesperson Megan Peters, arrest warrants have been issued for 45-year-old Teddy Smith on three counts of third-degree assault, as well as single fourth-degree counts of assault and misconduct involving weapons. Peters says Smith has not been charged in the death of 70-year-old Dolly Smith, whose body was discovered Friday evening, but only for his actions after authorities responded to the incident.

Alaska State Troopers are looking for a driver who stole an SUV and led them on a chase near Wasilla Fishhook Road early Thursday morning, knocking out power to a neighborhood and stealing items from a convenience store. According to an AST dispatch, the incident began at 4:28 a.m. Thursday, when troopers tried to stop a Chevrolet Suburban that was driving in the wrong lane near the intersection of East Seldon Road and Winona Street. The vehicle failed to yield, however, leading troopers on a brief chase.

Alaska State Troopers arrested a 75-year-old man who was causing a disturbance Thursday night after a shootout near his Fairbanks camper. A Friday AST dispatch says two Fairbanks troopers responded to reports of the disturbance, at an address on Madcap Lane, just before 9 p.m. They identified the source of the disturbance as Stanley Pieniazek, 75, who didn't respond to troopers when they called out to him. “When one of the troopers tried to...

STORY UPDATED AT 7:52 p.m. at 5/19/13: Alaska State Troopers say weather continues to hamper the search for two snowmachiners near Kotzebue. Shallain Adams, 23 of Noorvik, and Clifford Griest, 32 of Selawik, left Kotzebue early Wednesday morning on a black Polaris IQ snowmachine destined for Selawik. Over 70 searchers from Kotzebue, Selawik, Noorvik, Kiana, Noatak and Buckland have been involved in the ground search, but “efforts have been hampered by periodic bad weather. On Saturday, an Alaska wildlife trooper flew for a couple of hours before fog and blowing snow turned the pilot back.

Two people aboard a 20-foot boat near Ketchikan had their voyage terminated by the U.S. Coast Guard Thursday, following the discovery of several safety and fishing violations aboard. U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley says the boat, which was conducting recreational fishing in Carroll Inlet, was boarded by Coast Guardsmen from a Station Ketchikan 25-foot response boat. “The station crew conducted the at-sea boarding and discovered life jackets missing, an expired Alaska state boat registration and several federal subsistence Halibut fishing violations including fishing in closed waters and using excess amounts of gear,” Mosley wrote in a Friday statement.

A Palmer man is in critical condition after an all-terrain vehicle crash near the Old Glenn Highway early Wednesday morning, according to Alaska State Troopers. A Wednesday AST dispatch says the crash, in an area near the highway south of Maud Road, was reported to troopers just after 4:10 a.m. “EMS responded to the scene of the reported crash and contacted the driver of an overturned four-wheeler, identified as Jorden Bishop, age 25 of Palmer,” troopers wrote. “Bishop, who was the only one involved in the ATV crash, was ambulatory at the time troopers arrived on scene and was transported by EMS to Mat-Su Regional Hospital for treatment of his injuries.” AST spokesperson Megan Peters says that although Bishop's condition subsequently deteriorated, he appeared to be in better shape shortly after the crash.

A North Pole man was killed Friday evening while transporting a bulldozer near Cantwell, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers said 72-year-old Donald Kiehl was driving a D6 Caterpillar bulldozer when it had “fallen through the ice on a pond between Gold Creek and Stephan Lake,” around 5:30 p.m. Friday. Troopers were notified around 6:20 p.m. and Kiehl was presumed dead on the scene. The troopers investigation found that a “crew of men were transporting equipment and machinery to the Stephan Lake Lodge to do some contract work,” and as the crew crossed a low mountain, the bulldozer “broke through the ice on an alpine lake and sank.” According to troopers, people on scene were able to retrieve Kiehl from the water and attempted CPR on him, however “he was unable to be resuscitated.” His body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy and troopers wrote, “No foul play is suspected at this point but investigation is continuing.” Stephen Lake Lodge is located 140 air miles from Anchorage near the Talkeetna Mountains and has been around since the late 1960s.

A construction worker from Anchorage was injured on the Sterling Highway near Cooper Landing Friday afternoon when a piece of equipment rolled over his foot and lower leg, according to Alaska State Troopers. AST spokesperson Megan Peters says troopers responded just before 4:15 p.m. Friday to Mile 54 of the Sterling, where 31-year-old Ross Kennedy had been wounded in a “non-traffic accident.” Peters says Kennedy was medevaced from the scene by a LifeMed air ambulance, but no long-term road closures were reported during the incident.

Alaska State Troopers assisted Utah police in the Wednesday arrest of a Haines man suspected of sexually assaulting and killing a 92-year-old woman 20 years ago. A Wednesday AST dispatch says Stephen Ellenwood, 40, was taken into custody by Ogden, Utah police -- assisted by Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Haines Police Department -- on an outstanding criminal-homicide warrant for aggravated murder. “Ellenwood was taken into custody shortly after he fled from Troopers and tried to hide in the woods near his residence on Allen Road in Haines,” troopers wrote.

A truck stopped near Homer for not having outside rear-view mirrors led to two arrests Friday by Alaska State Troopers, who say the driver was under the influence of “Spice” synthetic marijuana and his passenger had violated drug-related probation conditions. According to a Monday AST dispatch, troopers pulled over the 1997 GMC Jimmy at about 4:45 p.m. Friday, at roughly Mile 169 of the Sterling Highway. In an email to Channel 2, AST spokesperson Megan Peters says Homer man Samuel Reece, 19, was behind the wheel.

A California man was pronounced dead Saturday morning near the Trident cannery in Akutan, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers said 31-year-old Simon Gatpan, of Santa Clara, Calif., was “found unresponsive on the beach near the Trident cannery,” Saturday around 8:25 a.m. According to troopers, he was a cannery worker. Few details were initially released surrounding Gatpan's death, and troopers wrote in a Sunday dispatch that his body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy to determine cause of death.

A skipper of a King Cove fishing boat was found dead in the water near Belkofski Friday around noon, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers identified 46-year-old Marvin H. Love as the skipper of the fishing vessel Taurus. A crew member of the vessel woke up around 5:50 a.m. and reported Love missing. The King Cove Police Department notified troopers of the missing skipper and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded. Around 11:54 a.m., the Amanda Dawn, a Good Samaritan vessel, reported finding a body about a mile from where the Taurus was moored near Belkofski.

Alaska State Troopers say “foul play is suspect,” connected to the death of a Minto man Thursday morning in the village about 130 road miles from Fairbanks. A village health worker found 26-year-old Jordan Baker at a residence where Baker stayed the night but did not live there, according to troopers. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Beth Ipsen says, “at this point, it appears to be an isolated incident and we're waiting on autopsy results to determine the cause of death.” On Thursday, state investigators drove to Minto to collect evidence and Baker's body will be flown to the Medical Examiner's office in Anchorage and testing should be done in the next few days.