Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Pelican processor cited over tardy fish tickets

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Fish tickets
On 1/28/12 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited Deborah Spencer, 46, of Pelican, for failing to submit fish tickets for troll-caught salmon within seven days after landing. Spencer is the co-owner of Cross Sound Seafoods and unintentionally submitted multiple tickets more than three months late. Arraignment set for 2/21/12 in Sitka District Court.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Roads, Jan. 23 — Buoy in the middle of the roadway.

Assist other agency, Jan. 23 — Vessel employee requested assistance refilling fire extinguishers.

Animal, Jan. 24 — An exasperated, exhausted immature eagle which had entrapped itself inside a crab pot was able to fly to safety after an officer climbed a stack of crab pots and cut a raptor-sized hole in the netting.

Theft, Jan. 25 — Westward employee reported a small bag, containing some identification and a small amount of cash, had been taken from her room. No suspects were identified.

Public safety, Jan. 25, 1458 hours — Category 1 travel advisory issued because the unseasonably cold, windy and snowy weather, and commensurate traffic hazards, continued.

Trespass, Jan. 26 — Officer advised a man who had previously been ordered off UniSea housing premises that he was also unwelcome at the hospitality facilities as well.

Assistance rendered, Jan. 26 — Officer observed an agitated man haranguing PenAir employees about not being allowed on the most recent departing flight, and advised him that yelling at the employees of the only passenger airline servicing the terminal might make his departure from Dutch Harbor a bit more difficult.

Protective custody, Jan. 27, 0043 hours — Officers took into protective custody an inebriated man who was poorly dressed for the weather and believed that a snow bank would provide him with ample protection from the weather.

Welfare check, Jan. 28, 0214 hours — Taxi driver asked officers to check on a very intoxicated man whom she had just left at a dock, and who she feared was unable to take care of himself. Officers located the inebriate and determined his level of intoxication did not prevent him from caring for himself.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Two fishermen get court dates in Cordova

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Copper River flats
Type: Commercial fish closed period
On 1/25/12 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Pavil Reutov, 28, of Homer, for commercial fishing during a closed period during the 2011 fishing season. Arraignment scheduled for 2/29/12 in Cordova District Court.

Location: Port Nellie Juan, Price William Sound
Type: Commercial fish closed period
On 1/25/12 Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited Monty Stephens, 65, of Palo Cedro, Calif., for seining during a closed period during the 2011 fishing season. Arraignment scheduled for 2/29/12 in Cordova District Court.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Welfare check, Jan. 8, 1917 hours — Two callers reported seeing flare-like lights in the sky near downtown Unalaska. An officer patrolling the area found nothing to indicate an emergency.

Assistance rendered, Jan. 9 — Caller reported several vehicles watching a vessel recovery were parked in such a way as to pose a hazard to other motorists. Officer advised the lookers-on to move to a safer location.

Assistance rendered, Jan. 9 — Three intrepid motorists who elected to ignore a giant berm placed to keep said type of motorists from going any further, found themselves stuck in the snow through which they had tried to drive.

Burglary, Jan. 9 — UniSea security reported an alleged burglary, in which a man's driver license and Social Security card, but none of his other valuable items, had been stolen. Under investigation.

Motor vehicle accident with damage, Jan. 10 — A parked and unoccupied vehicle struck another parked and unoccupied vehicle after being blown across an icy dock by a strong gust of wind. Damage to the two vehicles was significant.

Assistance rendered, Jan. 10 — Officer helped a man who had been fired from his vessel and unceremoniously deposited at a local dock find a place to sleep for the night.

Welfare check, Jan. 10 — Taxi driver Kimberly Yang phoned Unalaska Department of Public Safety to report that a man who had just requested a ride was neither answering his phone nor was he waiting outside his home as he usually did. Officers responded to the residence in question and found the elderly man in the back yard, where he had fallen on ice and was unable to get up. The man had been outside for only a few minutes and was not injured by the fall or his time in the snow. Kudos to the driver for reporting this.

Other services, Jan. 14 — Fire personnel helped fill oxygen tanks for a fishing vessel.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sitka herring seiner charged over costly collision

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Reckless operation of a watercraft
On 1/11/12 the Sitka District Attorney's office charged Daniel J. Crome, 35, of Seattle, with reckless operation of a watercraft, based on an investigation by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post. The charge stems from a vessel collision during the April 2011 Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery, where the F/V Arctic Fox, operated by Crome, collided with the F/V Talia, operated by William Menish, of Petersburg. More than $40,000 in damage was caused to the F/V Talia in the collision. Arraignment set for 1/24/12 in Sitka District Court.

Sitka man fined $500 for illegal crab pot storage

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Update — unlawful storage of Dungeness gear
On 1/13/12 Jeffrey R. Wolfe, 33, of Sitka, pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count of unlawful storage of commercial Dungeness pot gear. Wolfe was fined $1,000 with $500 suspended and placed on probation for one year.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Tickets fly at Dutch over crew licensing problems

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Crew license
On 1/11/12 Isaac Alvarado, 48, of Washington, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for a failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior to acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V North Cape. Bail set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Crew license
On 1/11/12 Donald Skauge, 57, of Oregon, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for a failing to obtain a commercial crewmember license prior to acting as a crewmember aboard the F/V North Cape. Bail set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: Employ unlicensed crewmen
On 1/11/12 Wayne Oxton, 52, of Maine, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for employing unlicensed crewmembers aboard the F/V North Cape. Bail set at $260 for Unalaska District Court.

Location: Dutch Harbor
Type: False statement on crew license, six counts
On 1/11/12 Jose L. Padron, 52, of Washington state and Mexico, was cited by Dutch Harbor Wildlife Troopers for making a false statement on his commercial crewmember licenses. Arraignment set for 2/1/12 in Unalaska District Court.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Sportfish guide fined $5,000 for unlicensed trips

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Sportfish guiding without license
On 1/4/12 in Juneau District Court, Joel Duby, 27, of Washington, pled guilty to one count of sportfish guiding without a guide license during 2007. Duby was fined $5,000 and may not apply for an Alaska sportfish or guide license for one year. Charges stemmed from a joint investigation between the Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service into a Juneau-based sportfishing company. During the investigation it was found that Duby had guided several trips during May of 2007 on the charter vessel Brody out of Auke Bay during which time he did not possess a valid 2007 sportfish guide license.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Suspicious activity, Jan. 1 — Caller reported a blue strobe light at a fish processing facility. Plant personnel stated that the light is activated during waste transfers.

Death investigation, Jan. 2, 0929 hours — A 48-year old man was found dead in his locked room at Alyeska Seafoods. The cause of death is under investigation, though no evidence of foul play was observed.

Noise disturbance, Jan. 3, 0040 hours — Caller was disturbed by “loud screams of enjoyment” that had been continuing for quite some time. An officer responded to the area in question but did not locate the source of said vocalized pleasures.

Theft, Jan. 5 — A commercial diver, while raising a sunken vessel, discovered numerous tools that had apparently been stolen from a local business. Under investigation.

Roads, Jan. 6, 1114 hours — Thousands of feet of crab line strung back and forth across a major thoroughfare prevented road maintenance crews from clearing snow. A responsible party was contacted and advised of the problem.

Public safety, Jan. 6 — Extreme caution was urged once again, as a Category 1 travel advisory was continued due to icy roads and blowing snow.

Suspicious activity, Jan. 7 — Homeowner reported someone had gone to quite a bit of trouble to shovel a path to his shed and his absent neighbor’s home. Nothing had been burglarized, but the homeowner was concerned that the paths might be the first step towards the commission of a crime. It was later discovered that the U.S. Coast Guard had been shoveling snow for the local elders.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Washington gillnetter out $2,000 after guilty plea

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Juneau
Type: Update — commercial fish closed waters
On 1/9/12 Leslie J. Nelson, 63, of Bellingham, Wash., pled guilty to commercial fishing in closed waters. He was fined $3,000 with $1,500 suspended and ordered to pay $500 in restitution to the state. Nelson originally was charged in August when he was observed operating his gillnet in closed waters near the Snettisham hatchery.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Port Alexander man cited over late fish tickets

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Fish tickets
On 1/1/12 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited Gary P. Mulligan, 63, of Port Alexander, the permit holder onboard the F/V Phyllis Ann, for failing to submit commercial salmon fish tickets within seven days. Arraignment set for 1/24/12 in Sitka District Court.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

408 pounds of lingcod taken illegally, troopers say

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Commercial fish closed season
On 1/2/12 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, cited John D. Reid, 42, of Sitka, for taking lingcod in a closed season. Reid landed 408 pounds of lingcod caught on 8/29/11 when the directed lingcod fishery had closed by emergency order on 8/25/11. Arraignment set for 1/24/12 in Sitka District Court.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Animal, Dec. 27 — Company cat turned in for adoption after management decided the cat could not continue living at the business office.

Public safety, Dec. 29 — Advisory issued regarding the status of Cleveland volcano, which had erupted and produced a moderate-sized ash cloud.

Found property, Dec. 29 — Gift certificate for 10 pounds of king crab, turned in and returned to owner.

Drunk disturbance, Dec. 29, 2332 hours — Drunken boarding house tenant reported another tenant had grabbed his leg, forcing the drunk to phone 911 for assistance. The drunk did not wish to pursue charges.

Domestic disturbance, Dec. 30, 0026 hours — Drunken boarding house tenant reported that his equally drunken nemesis had taken his cell phone, and he wanted it back. Officers told both sots they would go to jail if they continued behaving toward one another in such a fashion.

Assault, Dec. 30, 0151 hours — Yet another boarding house tenant reported being threatened by one of the drunken louts to whom officers had already spent considerable time speaking. The lout told officers he would never say such a thing.

Other services, Dec. 31, 2300 hours — Fire and EMS personnel stood by during the New Year's fireworks extravaganza.

Trespass, Jan. 1 — Gregg T. Kortesma, 41, of Unalaska, was arrested for criminal trespass after he was found on UniSea property in violation of a lifetime trespassing advisement.

Drunk disturbance, Jan. 1, 0512 hours — Mother asked officer to advise her drunken sons they were not welcome in her home.

Drunk disturbance, Jan. 1, 0541 hours — Mother asked officer to advise her drunken sons, who had returned with another inebriated friend, that they were still not welcome in her home.