Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Assistance rendered, March 18 — Taxi driver reported that a customer had failed to pay his fare in full. The suspect, whom an officer found on his vessel, elected to pay the fare as well as a healthy tip.

Criminal mischief, March 18 — An inebriated lout who decided on a whim to break a vehicle window was quickly apprehended after footprints in the snow led officers to his location. Daniel Wellington, 21, of Washington, was arrested on one count of criminal mischief.

Assistance rendered, March 19 — Caller reported a man running back and forth, screaming for help, on the second floor of the Grand Aleutian hotel. Officers eventually broke into the hotel room where the man had barricaded himself against allegedly armed and goggled evildoers in the bathroom, and took him into protective custody.

Public safety, March 19 — Category 1 travel advisory continued due to the incessant, never-ending, wind-driven snow which causes whiteout conditions and creates huge drifts all over the roadways.

Public safety, March 20 — Category 1 travel advisory extended because strong northwest winds had yet to abate, resulting in enormous drifts and decreased visibility.

Fire response, March 22 — Fire personnel were toned to assist a woman who had fallen into a shoulder-deep snow drift.

Welfare check, March 22 — Captain reported one of his crew, who had been quite inebriated the night before, had failed to return to the boat after spending most of the night drinking. Officers learned the man had been asked to leave the bar due to his level of intoxication. The man was later located and found sleeping it off.

Animal, March 22 — Multiple phone calls were received about an injured or dead eagle on Ballyhoo Road. Alaska State Troopers retrieved the badly injured bird and made plans to ship it off-island for definitive care.

Welfare check, March 23, 0253 hours — A woman reported being able to see a man across the channel, beating things in the snow and then throwing them in the water. Officers found a disgruntled man who claimed to have been throwing his hat at a threatening fox.

Suspicious activity, March 23 — Caller reported illegal gambling in a bunkhouse. Officers contacted the suspect occupants, one of whom was asleep, and determined the two had not engaged in any illegal activity.

Animal, March 24 — Alaska State Troopers rescued a seal that had apparently become stuck on a piece of ice.

Assault, March 24 — A drunken sailor attacked his captain after the captain took the inebriate's 40-container stash from him because having it violated company policy. The captain chose not to press charges. The drunken sailor lost his job, was advised he was not welcome on this or any other company vessel and was told he was too intoxicated to return to any bars or liquor stores.

Three accused of illegal salmon trolling at Yakutat

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Yakutat Bay
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 3/22/12 at approximately 1256 hours, Alaska Wildlife Troopers from Yakutat contacted Oliver Hokanson, 47, of Yakutat, aboard the F/V Falcon in Yakutat Bay. Investigation revealed that Hokanson was commercial salmon trolling in closed waters in Yakutat Bay. Hokanson was issued a summons to appear on 4/12/12 in Yakutat District Court.

Location: Yakutat Bay
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 3/22/12 at approximately 1309 hours, Alaska Wildlife Troopers from Yakutat contacted Loren Clark, 42, of Yakutat, aboard a salmon power troller in Yakutat Bay. Investigation revealed that Clark was commercial salmon trolling in closed waters in Yakutat Bay. Clark was issued a summons to appear on 4/12/12 in Yakutat District Court.

Location: Yakutat Bay
Type: Commercial fish closed waters
On 3/22/12 at approximately 1357 hours, Alaska Wildlife Troopers from Yakutat contacted Frank Deveraux, 63, of Yakutat, aboard the F/V Sheryl in Yakutat Bay. Investigation revealed that Deveraux was commercial salmon trolling in closed waters in Yakutat Bay. Deveraux was issued a summons to appear on 4/12/12 in Yakutat District Court.

Miner fined $5,000 for diverting salmon stream

Here's a press release from the Alaska Department of Law, Office of Special Prosecutions:

March 16, 2012

Placer miner convicted, sentenced for diverting salmon stream

On March 15, a Palmer jury found 59-year-old Samuel C. Turner, of Trapper Creek, guilty of two fish and game violations. The jury returned its verdict after less than three hours of deliberation. Palmer District Court Judge William Estelle presided over the three-day trial.

Alaska Wildlife Trooper Scott Lanier investigated Turner after habitat biologists from the Palmer office of the Department of Fish and Game's Division of Habitat informed him that Turner diverted a substantial section of Cache Creek.

Cache Creek has been specified by the Department of Fish and Game as important for the spawning, rearing or migration of Chinook, coho and pink salmon.

Turner's diversion of Cache Creek was originally discovered during a mining aerial survey conducted by the Department of Natural Resources in early October 2011.

Trooper Lanier, along with habitat biologists from the Department of Fish and Game, flew to Cache Creek in late October 2011 to inspect the diversion work that Turner had done. They estimated he diverted more than 550 feet of Cache Creek downstream of his main mining operation. Turner did not obtain a habitat permit from the Department of Fish and Game before he undertook this project.

As a result of his convictions, Turner is required to pay a $5,000 fine and will be on probation for one year.

Turner has already begun the process of developing a plan to return Cache Creek to its natural flow.

Vessel master indicted in Kodiak pollution case

From the U.S. attorney's office in Anchorage:

March 22, 2012

Master of F/V Chisik Island charged with polluting Kodiak harbor

ANCHORAGE — U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that Victor Allen Buchanan, of Kodiak, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for discharging pollutants into St. Paul Harbor, Kodiak.

The two-count indictment named Buchanan, 56, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment presented to the court, the 86-foot commercial fishing vessel Chisik Island is owned and operated by Buchanan. He is charged with discharging oil-contaminated bilge water and raw sewage into St. Paul Harbor from his vessel between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4, 2011.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Retta Randall, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of three years in prison, with maximum fines of $25,000 per day of violation.

Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Marine Safety Detachment in Kodiak, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sherman, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sea cucumber poaching results in jail time, fines

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Sitka
Type: Update — commercial fish closed period
On 3/19/12 James "Mitch" Cowan, of Sitka, and Jorge Ignacio Molina-Salas, of Atlanta, Ga., pled guilty in Sitka District Court to one count each of commercial fishing during a closed period and unlawful possession of commercial fish. Cowan was sentenced to 30 days in jail, fined a total of $8,000 with $4,000 suspended, and ordered to pay $442 in restitution to the state for illegally taken sea cucumbers. He also had to forfeit the illegally taken sea cucumbers, and was placed on probation for two years. Molina-Salas was fined $6,000 with $3,500 suspended, ordered to pay restitution, and placed on probation for two years. The charges stemmed from an investigation by Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post, which showed Cowan and Molina-Salas took 177 pounds of sea cucumbers by using dive gear in August 2011 when the commercial sea cucumber season did not open until October 2011. The illegally taken sea cucumbers were processed and packaged for sale. A portion of the sea cucumbers were then shipped out of state with the intent to deliver the product to potential international buyers as samples, well ahead of the legal open season for commercial sea cucumbers. The remaining processed sea cucumbers were found to be in the possession of Cowan and Molina-Salas and were seized.

Dutch Harbor report

From the local police blotter:

Domestic disturbance, March 11 — A woman's screaming at her boyfriend about his having to leave on a fishing boat so soon after she arrived prompted a visit to the couple by police. Having once determined that no crime had been committed, officers suggested the couple attempt to be more restrained with their arguing.

Suspicious activity, March 12 — Officer investigated a report that a possibly intoxicated captain was piloting his vessel in the harbor. The captain was found to be sober, and was most irate that a complaint had been made.

Drunk disturbance, March 13 — Officers responded to a bunkhouse wherein a group of noisy, drunken men were helping a noisy, drunken and obnoxious coworker to his room. Officers suggested the inebriates take their revelry to a location where it would be less offensive to others.

Assist other agency, March 15 — A fisherman reported he had been assaulted by a coworker several days earlier, while at sea. An officer took the initial report and forwarded the information to Alaska State Troopers for definitive investigation.

Welfare check, March 15 — A fisheries observer was reported missing after she failed to return to her vessel as scheduled. Officers spent several hours looking for the woman, only to find that her vessel had left port with her already onboard.

Assistance rendered, March 16 — Caller phoned 911 and asked for officers to come to the library to notarize his signature on an official document. After his request was politely declined, he began to berate the library staff, who also phoned police and asked for assistance. An officer responded and told the man that if he was nice, perhaps a notary at the police department could assist him.

Trespass, March 16 — An unreasonable man who had created a disturbance at the library was issued a trespass advisement for all city recreational facilities.

Lost property, March 17 — A wallet, perhaps at Westward Seafoods, with Washington driver's license and other pertinent cards and documents.

Assistance rendered, March 17 — Officer mediated a dispute between two men, one of whom had agreed to unlock the other's cell phone but had then lost the phone on a fishing vessel.

Troopers seize king crab catch worth $88,622

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: Wrangell
Type: Multiple crabbing violations
On 3/17/12 Jay Thomassen, of Seward, was cited by Alaska Wildlife Troopers for multiple violations pertaining to the commercial golden king crab fishery in Southeast Alaska. Thomassen, the permit holder on the F/V Angelette, was charged with commercial fishing in closed waters, retaining undersized king crab, possession of illegal crab and providing a false statement on his logbooks. Thomassen's catch was seized and the proceeds are held by the state of Alaska. The catch was estimated to be worth $88,622. Arraignment is scheduled for 4/18/12 in Petersburg District Court.