Soldotna

Anchorage police say a man who allegedly raped and robbed two women in their Downtown hotel room last month was set to be arraigned Monday on sexual-assault and theft charges. According to APD spokesperson Anita Shell, 18-year-old Robert Mitchell Gutierrez has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of theft in the incident, which happened overnight March 16. Shell says the women, ages 19 and 21, were visiting from Soldotna for a shopping trip. One of them had met Gutierrez on the dating website plentyoffish.com, and made arrangements to meet with him when they finished shopping.

Location and Climate Soldotna is on the Kenai Peninsula, 150 highway miles south of Anchorage, at the junction of the Sterling and Kenai Spur Highways. It lies 10 miles inland from Cook Inlet, and borders the Kenai River. The community lies at approximately 60.487780° North Latitude and -151.058330° West Longitude.  (Sec. 32, T005N, R010W, Seward Meridian.)   Soldotna is located in the Kenai Recording District.  The area encompasses 6.9 sq. miles of land and 0.5 sq. miles of water.  Winter temperatures range from 6 to 24; summers range from 45 to 66. Average annual precipitation is 17.4 inches.

The Soldotna Stars have won three small-schools state football titles on the strength of a potent rushing attack -- but in Friday's state semifinal against the Eielson Ravens, the Stars’ defense shined brightest. Soldotna returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the first quarter and forced five Ravens turnovers in the first half to win going away, 61-27. The win assures Soldotna, 10 and 0 this season, of a fifth consecutive appearance in the championship game. The Stars also got a pair of first-half rushing touchdowns from Robbie Smithwick.

Alaska State Troopers have charged the primary suspect in a recent Soldotna homicide. Troopers say they surrounded a trailer home in the Backpacker Trailer Park Friday morning after an investigation identified Lyle D. Ludvick, 44, as a suspect. Ludvick surrendered after a short period of negotiations. Ludvick has been charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the homicide of Brendan McGee of Soldotna, 23, on July 16.

by The Associated Press Tuesday, August 3, 2010 KENAI, Alaska -- A witness says he saw a man shot in the head with a shotgun at a cabin in Soldotna. Court documents filed in Kenai say Thomas Mason told Alaska State Troopers he saw Lyle Ludvick shoot 23-year-old Brendan McGee July 16 in an argument over a $500 payment for a gun. Ludvick is facing a murder charge.

High-school hockey was in full swing Saturday night, as Soldotna took on Dimond. In the second period, Tyler Thompson kept his head up and found Shilo Vega for a goal, putting the Lynx ahead 1-0. Vega scored again with assists from Mason Anderson and Daniel Robers, and a third goal by Thompson closed a Dimond shutout of Soldotna 3-0. Contact Charlie Sokaitis at csokaitis@ktuu.com

A Soldotna house explosion Thursday afternoon injured two people inside, who were rescued by neighbors and medevaced to Seattle with serious burns. Brad Nelson, a health and safety officer with Central Emergency Services in Soldotna, says the house at 336 W. Riverview Ave. suffered flooding damage a few days ago. The homeowner and a friend were inside when the blast occurred at about 1 p.m. "For an unknown reason, it exploded," Nelson said. Repair workers at a home next door, which had also suffered flooding damage, entered the building to rescue the two people, who are being medevaced to Harborview Burn Center in Seattle.

The University of Alaska Anchorage hockey team has its work cut out for it this season. The Seawolves squad are mostly pups, with 19 of the 28 players on the roster either freshmen or sophomores. Coach Dave Shyiak says what his club lacks in experience it makes up for in enthusiasm. He says the team is coming along just fine, and as the Seawolves prepare for their exhibition game Saturday in Soldotna against Windsor College, Shyiak believes the team will be ready. “Right now we're just basically, we're just looking at how guys are executing the systems, trying to get some chemistry with the lines, some D-pairings and making sure our goal tenders get enough shots before we start this weekend,” Shyiak said.

Each month Channel 2 awards a scholarship to an outstanding Alaskan student. This month’s winner is an 18-year-old from Soldotna, who saw a business opportunity in an everyday chore. Kelsey Brush didn't know what she was getting into when she started her own business. “I came home to my mom and dad and say you would not believe what was in my boat today.” The concept for Kelsey’s Mobile Boat Washing Service came to her three years ago, as a way to save for college.

An Alaska Air National Guard helicopter crew rescued two people from Montague Island early Monday morning, after their plane flipped following a landing. According to a statement written by Sgt. Balinda O'Neal, the Bellanca 8GCBC's flight plan had it departing from Soldotna for the island, in the mouth of Prince William Sound, then returning Sunday night. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert for the missing aircraft at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The 11th Air Force's Rescue Coordination Center responded by launching an HC-130 Hercules search plane, as well as an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, shortly after 11:30 p.m. Both aircraft departed Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage with “Guardian Angel” pararescue crews on board.

Alaska State Troopers say charges are pending after a drug overdose during which a Soldotna man nearly died at a local hotel Sunday night. According to a Monday AST dispatch, a 911 call just before 6 p.m. Sunday informed troopers that the 27-year-old man, at the Duck Inn at 43187 Kalifornsky Beach Rd., was unresponsive after overdosing. AST spokesperson Beth Ipsen says the man wasn't alone at the time of the overdose -- a factor that helped save his life. “The guy's girlfriend was in the hotel room, so she's the one who called 911,” Ipsen said.

Anchorage police say a man who allegedly raped and robbed two women in their Downtown hotel room last month was set to be arraigned Monday on sexual-assault and theft charges. According to APD spokesperson Anita Shell, 18-year-old Robert Mitchell Gutierrez has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of theft in the incident, which happened overnight March 16. Shell says the women, ages 19 and 21, were visiting from Soldotna for a shopping trip. One of them had met Gutierrez on the dating website plentyoffish.com, and made arrangements to meet with him when they finished shopping.

Alaska State Troopers arrested a Soldotna man Thursday morning in an alleged hit-and-run collision with a woman, saying he ran over her ankle in her driveway. Troopers don't believe alcohol was a factor in the Marshall Street incident, which they were informed of at about 1:50 a.m. Thursday. AST spokesperson Beth Ipsen says the collision occurred after Frank Alto, 59, dropped off a passenger at a home across the road, then backed his 2001 Ford Taurus out to make a turn. “He was turning around and backed into (the woman's)

Alaska State Troopers have identified the two men who were severely injured when a light aircraft crashed near a Sterling home Thursday afternoon. A Friday AST dispatch says responders had to extricate 34-year-old pilot Mark Kreuger of Sterling, and 44-year-old passenger Scott Steger of Soldotna, from the wreckage of an experimental Super Cub that crashed at about 3:10 p.m. Thursday in a residential yard of a home on the 39000 block of Swanson River Road. “Steger was transported by ambulance to the Central Peninsula Hospital, while Krueger was airlifted to CPH and then later transported to Anchorage for treatment,” troopers wrote.

ASAA 4A Hockey Tournament Thursday's Quarterfinal Games Dimond def. West Valley, 7-1 Service def. Soldotna, 3-2 South def. Lathrop, 3-0 West def. Wasilla, 1-0 in 2OT Friday's Semifinals 5:30 Dimond vs. Service 8:00 West vs. South

4 witness statements were released from the National Transportation Safety Board that fill-in the events prior to a pilot who went missing last October somewhere between Soldotna to Palmer. Brendan Mattingley, of Palmer, had been drinking at the Holligans Bar in Soldotna on the night of Oct. 12 and early Oct. 13, according to witnesses. He was reportedly last seen the morning of Oct. 13 when he flew his green, red, and white Piper PA-18 Super Cub and heading to Palmer. All four witnesses, which include a friend of Mattingley, a bar bouncer, a taxi cab driver, and a female at the bar, said that Mattingley appeared to be intoxicated or inebriated and he was asked to leave the bar and taken to a cab. The NTSB conducted phone conversations with the witness that were dated Oct. 29. Witness 1 , who the NTSB described as a long time friend of Mattingley, said that both of them went to a local hockey game that evening and after the game went to a couple local bars, and hung out with some friends.

Ted Spraker is the acting chairman of the Alaska Board of Game.  He is retired wildlife biologist, who is also an avid hunter, trapper and fisherman, now living in Soldotna. He worked for almost 30 years for the State Department of Fish and Game, where he served as the Area Wildlife Biologist for the Kenai Peninsula.  He also worked briefly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Alaska State Troopers have identified a Soldotna man who died in a two-vehicle crash on the Sterling Highway Friday afternoon, which also injured three other people and temporarily closed the highway. AST spokesperson Beth Ipsen says 85-year-old Daniel Gonzales was killed in the collision, which happened at Mile 107 of the Sterling at 12:05 p.m. “Preliminary investigation revealed that Ruby Gonzales, 82, of Soldotna was driving a 2001 Jeep Cherokee northbound on the Sterling Highway when she lost control on a slight hill,” Ipsen wrote in a Friday email on the crash.

ASAA 3A Volleyball Tournament--Wasilla Sports Complex Friday's Losers Bracket Matches: Monroe def. Nikiski 25-17, 25-19, 25-20 Skyview def. Barrow 25-14, 25-23, 25-20 Monroe def. Valdez 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 15-8 Skyview def. Nome, 25-23, 26-24, 25-22 Barrow, Nikiski, Valdez, and Nome eliminated Friday's Winners Bracket Match: Mt. Edgecumbe def. Grace Christian, 25-22, 25-15, 25-19  ASAA 4A Volleyball Tournament--Wasilla Sports Complex Friday's Losers Bracket Matches: Palmer def. Kodiak 25-20, 25-22, 14-25, 21-25, 19-17 Soldotna def. West Valley 25-12, 25-15, 27-25 Juneau def. Soldotna 16-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21, 15-12 Palmer def. East 25-16, 25-27, 25-21, 25-16 Kodiak, West Valley, Soldotna, and East eliminated   Friday's Winners Bracket Match: South def. Dimond 25-22, 25-13, 25-17