Monday, February 28, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Traffic crime, Feb. 24 — A driver passed through the gates at the end of the runway while the red lights were illuminated and the gates partially closed. An officer located the suspect vehicle, owned by a local processing company, but was unable to determine who had been driving it.

Trespass, Feb. 25, 2101 hours — Marcus M. Hamilton, 45, of Unalaska, jumped out a second-story window at the Harbor View Inn and attempted to avoid arrest by running through UniSea and Bering Fisheries property, lying about his identity and swimming across the channel toward Airport Beach Road. Hamilton was arrested a few minutes later and charged with criminal trespass, false information and resisting arrest.

Ambulance request, Feb. 25, 2121 hours — EMS personnel provided care and transport to an unpleasant man who had spent several minutes in the water near the UniSea and Bering Fisheries processing plants.

Assault, Feb. 27 — Two grown women and the grown daughter of one of the women engaged in a catfight at the Harbor View bar, exchanging all manner of derogatory gestures and spoken pejoratives. Officers advised all three of the women, who appeared to have forgotten the instructions given to them earlier in the month, to refrain from further contact with one another.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Sitka man cited over vessel license, marijuana

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Vessel license
On 2/25/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, contacted Jerry A. Puckett, 36, of Sitka, during a routine commercial fishing inspection. As a result of the contact, Puckett was cited for failing to display a 2011 vessel license and was issued a summons for possessing a small amount of marijuana onboard the vessel. Arraignment is set in Sitka District Court.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Troopers check for crew licenses at Dutch Harbor

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Employ unlicensed crewmember
On 2/25/11 Dennis McKibbon, 51, of Idaho, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for hiring an unlicensed crewmember aboard the F/V Baranof. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Commercial crewmember license required
On 2/25/11 Scott Woolsey, 44, of Washington, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior to acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V Baranof. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Commercial crewmember license required
On 2/23/11 Dean Scates, 54, of Washington, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V Baranof. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Employ unlicensed crewmember
On 2/23/11 Steven Dubois, 54, of Washington, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for hiring an unlicensed crewmember aboard the F/V Enterprise. Bail was set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Two charged with illegal Icy Bay lingcod catch

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Yakutat
Type: Commercial fish closed season
On 2/24/11 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Juneau Post, issued two summonses to Cleo Melling, 70, of Washington, and one summons to Daniel Melling, 40, of Washington, for commercial fishing during a closed season. In January of 2010, Juneau AWT received reports that Cleo Melling had retained commercially caught lingcod in the Icy Bay Subdistrict after the area had been closed by Alaska Department of Fish and Game through emergency order. Subsequent investigation revealed that both Cleo Melling and Daniel Melling were permit holders on the same fishing vessel. During the investigation, it was discovered on three separate occasions/trips in the month of June 2009 Cleo and Daniel Melling had retained lingcod in the closed area for a total of approximately 5,965 pounds of lingcod. Arraignment is set for Yakutat District Court for both Cleo and Daniel Melling.

Geoduck fishermen fined $12,900 after guilty plea

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ketchikan
Type: Update — commercial fish closed period, unlawful use of dive gear, failure to ID commercial geoduck catch
On 2/11/11 Eric Riemer, 31, of Ketchikan, and Collin Darrah, 49, of Washington, pled guilty in Ketchikan District Court on a total of seven commercial fishing violations. Their combined fines totaled $12,900. This case was investigated by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers after receiving multiple complaints of illegal commercial fishing activities being committed by Riemer and Darrah.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Troopers ticket two Southeast Tanner crabbers

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Illegal escape rings
On 2/20/11 Troy Denkinger, of Sitka, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers for operating commercial Tanner crab pots with undersized escape rings. This is a mandatory court appearance in Juneau District Court.

Location: Juneau
Type: Illegal escape rings
On 2/21/11 Randal Gregg, of Juneau, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers for operating commercial Tanner crab pots with undersized escape rings. This is a mandatory court appearance in Juneau District Court.

Sitka crabber nets $1,500 fine, forfeits 78 pots

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Update — commercial fish closed season
On 2/10/11 Reginald I. Baggen, 32, of Sitka, pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of commercial fishing for Dungeness crab during a closed season. Baggen was fined $6,000 with $4,500 suspended, ordered to forfeit 78 commercial Dungeness crab pots to the state, and was placed on probation for one year. The charge stems from an investigation into crab gear fishing after the closure of the 2010 summer Dungeness season.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Domestic disturbance, Feb. 13 — Security requested assistance mediating a dispute between two roommates, one of whom stated he had killed people in the past and threatened to kill his roommate this day. Officers learned that the two had an argument about a week earlier, in which one man threatened to stab the other with a steak knife, for having opened a window. A steak knife was later confiscated from the man's closet.

Welfare check, Feb. 13 — Young boy called police after his mother failed to return almost an hour after she walked to a nearby dumpster. Officers learned that the mother had gone to the company galley for dinner and found her shortly after she returned to her residence.

Suspicious activity, Feb. 15 — Taxi driver reported that a drunken man whom she had found lying on the side of the road and to whom she had given a ride had broken a window in her taxi. Officers found the inebriated sot, who initially denied being the culprit but eventually agreed to reimburse the driver for the damages.

Theft, Feb. 15 — Original Productions employee found that someone had "trashed" a hotel room which was being used as an office by the company, strewing equipment worth thousands of dollars about the room. Investigation indicated the damage was likely caused by a drunken member of the cast. Damages were deemed nonexistent after the suspect was identified.

Theft, Feb. 16 — Some pieces of snowboarding equipment were stolen from a fishing boat. Brandon Brazil, 22, of Oregon, had been detained at the scene by the captain of the vessel and admitted to the responding officer that he had stolen the snowboard equipment. Brazil was arrested on one count of theft.

Drunk disturbance, Feb. 16 — U.S. Coast Guard requested assistance with an intoxicated and belligerent man who had refused to leave their bonfire as they were preparing to put it out for the night. An officer found the man, who had already left the area and who confirmed that he had stopped at the fire to warm himself before returning to his boat. He denied behaving in an inappropriate fashion.

Assault, Feb. 19 — A man reported he was assaulted by the captain of a fishing vessel after the captain walked in to find him engaged in sexual activities with a woman whose name he never learned. The captain pushed the man to the floor several times before striking him in the back of the head. Under investigation.

Friday, February 18, 2011

False flares cause stir at Hoonah

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Hoonah
Type: Suspicious circumstances
On 2/15/11 at approximately 1735 hours, Hoonah Wildlife Troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard and members of Hoonah volunteer fire department responded to and investigated two separate reports of aerial flares being seen in the area between the Hoonah airport and Spasski harbor northeast of Hoonah. At the time of the incident the Icy Strait and Hoonah area were experiencing gale warnings with freezing spray. The USCG launched a helicopter out of Sitka, and responders from Hoonah investigated by truck and snowmobiles. It was determined that an unidentified and very irresponsible party had fired three expired flares from the Hoonah dump area, causing this case to be initiated. The Alaska State Troopers would like to remind people that flares or any other type of distress signal should not be used unless in an emergency, or under some type of training scenario where local search and rescue authorities are notified before the training exercise.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Sound fisherman nets $3,000 fine, probation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Prince William Sound — Eshamy
Type: Update — commercial fish closed waters
On 1/25/11 Gregory C. Synner, 52, of Wasilla, operator and permit holder of the F/V Aquaholic, pled guilty to one count of commercial fishing in closed waters in Prince William Sound. Synner was fined $6,000 with $3,000 suspended and given 12 months probation.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Trespass, Feb. 7 — Officer issued a trespass advisement to a man who was no longer welcome on Bering Fisheries property.

Assault, Feb. 7 — Officers responded to a report of a fight in the airport terminal, and learned that two crewmen had a dispute over the amount of work each had done during their recent offload. None of the participants reported injuries, nor did they wish to pursue charges.

Trespass, Feb. 8, 0148 hours — Officer issued a trespass advisement to a man who was no longer welcome on UniSea property.

Trespass, Feb. 8, 2022 hours — Officer issued a trespass advisement to a man who was no longer welcome on UniSea property.

Ambulance request, Feb. 9 — EMS personnel provided care and transport to a man found clinging to the side of a vessel in the small-boat harbor.

Trespass, Feb. 11 — Officer issued a trespass advisement to a man who was no longer welcome on UniSea property due to his having stolen from the company.

Drunk disturbance, Feb. 12 — An intoxicated man called to report that "they are hiding everything." Officers responded and found everything, including the intoxicated man, in his room. The drunk was advised that he would be arrested if he returned to any bars or liquor stores this night.

Trespass, Feb. 13 — Officer advised a man who had been told to leave the Harbor View bar after pinching a bar maid's nether parts that he would be arrested if he returned to the bar this night.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Kodiak processor accused of crab violation

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Kodiak
Type: Undersized crab
On 2/8/11 North Pacific Seafoods was cited for possession of undersized Tanner crab taken during the Kodiak area commercial Tanner crab season.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Domestic disturbance, Jan. 31, 1533 hours — Prisoners in the jail threw pawns and flung tiny paper cups of water at one another after one prisoner caught the other flagrantly cheating at chess.

Assault, Jan. 31, 1945 hours — Two males in the jail continued to threaten each other over a disagreement regarding an earlier chess game. Gaston Sanhueza-Briceno was charged with disorderly conduct after video recordings and witness statements showed that he had first lunged at the other prisoner.

Welfare check, Feb. 2 — A man phoned 911 screaming into the phone to report that another man had touched his bicep and given him the finger while the two were working. After an exhaustive inquiry revealed the frivolous nature of the complaint, the caller was told, again, that 911 was for emergency calls.

Assistance rendered, Feb. 3 — The man who was offended by a coworker touching his bicep flagged down police to report that UniSea security officers had failed to give him a ride while he was walking along the roadway in sandals. Both UniSea security and police explained to the man that there is no statutory requirement that his employer provide him with a ride simply because he elected to don inappropriate footwear.

Drug law violation, Feb. 4 — Nirandone Phomphakdy, 27, of California, was arrested on two counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance after his room at UniSea was searched for evidence of drug sales. Officers located several bags of marijuana, individually wrapped for resale in Phomphakdy's room.

Animal, Feb. 4 — Cold, wet, loose dog found shivering at UniSea.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Troopers ticket Dungeness crabber at Sitka

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Crabbing closed season
On 1/31/11 Sitka Wildlife Troopers located and seized three commercial Dungeness crab pots still fishing in Chaik Bay near Chatham Strait. Commercial Dungeness crab season closed on 10/30/10. Alaska Department of Fish and Game records revealed that the pots belonged to Peter Roddy, 58, of Sitka. On 2/3/11 Roddy was contacted in Sitka and issued a summons for commercial Dungeness fishing during a closed season. Roddy was given a mandatory court date of 2/15/11.

Trespass reported at Ninilchik charter business

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Ninilchik
Type: Criminal trespass
On 2/4/11 Alaska State Troopers in Anchor Point responded to Ninilchik Saltwater Charters in Ninilchik following a report of suspicious activity. Investigation revealed that someone had forced entry into the charter office and adjacent fish-processing room and it appeared as though someone had been living in the office following its closure in the fall. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with
information about this incident is urged to contact the Alaska State Troopers in Anchor Point or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-478-HALT.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Vandals hit Kwik'pak Fisheries landing craft

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Emmonak
Type: Vandalism
On 1/27/11 at approximately 1928 hours, Alaska State Troopers from Emmonak received a report from a Kwik'pak Fisheries employee that three of the company's landing craft were vandalized. Windows and handrails were broken on the vessels. Damage estimates are being compiled. Investigation is continuing.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Suspicious activity, Jan. 24 — A man phoned police to report that a submarine had surfaced in the vicinity of Captains Bay. Responding officers found neither the caller nor any evidence of a submarine in the area. The caller, who was not positively identified until the following day, told police that he was close friends with a man who had also recently reported a similar event before going missing, and that he had phoned police in a sort of absurd remembrance for his lost friend.

Domestic disturbance, Jan. 24 — Officers responded to a report of an assault at the Bering Fisheries processing facility, and found that a drunken man had begun beating himself in the face after he and his roommate had argued jealously about their mutual love interest.

Domestic disturbance, Jan. 26 — Officers contacted two new roommates who were experiencing difficulties adjusting to one another's peccadilloes. After it became apparent that the two grown men were incapable of accepting one another's differences, the officers suggested to the landlord that separate bunkrooms might be in order.

Trespass, Jan. 26 — Raymond Go Pingco, 21, was found inside a UniSea bunkhouse and was subsequently arrested for criminal trespass. He had previously been told he could not be in the facility.

Welfare check, Jan. 26 — Father asked that an officer check on his son, who had been asleep in his room for three days. An officer responded to the residence and confirmed that the son was asleep.

Roads, Jan. 27 — Caller reported a rockslide blocking approximately three-quarters of Captains Bay Road.