Information for this report was taken from publicly available law enforcement records and includes arrest and citation information. Anyone listed in this report is presumed innocent.
On June 1 at 1:08 a.m., Alaska State Troopers responded to the report of a disturbance at a Nikiski residence. Susan Williams, 47, of Nikiski, was contacted during the investigation and was found to have violated her conditions of release in a separate criminal case. After investigation, Williams was arrested and taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility on the charge of violating conditions of release (domestic violence).
On June 1 at 11:59 p.m., Soldotna-based Alaska State Troopers responded to report of a disturbance in the area of Wapiti Road in Nikiski. Investigation revealed that Chelsa Schwartz, 49, of Nikiski, had damaged property during a disagreement. Schwartz was arrested for fifth-degree criminal mischief (domestic violence) and taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility without bail.
On May 22, Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted a traffic stop as part of a Seatbelt Enforcement Program in the Soldotna Area, where a local high school graduation was just concluding. Troopers contacted Dalton Warren, 20, during the traffic stop, and determined that he was impaired by marijuana and in possession of marijuana while under the age of 21. Warren was arrested and taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility on charges of driving under the influence and fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances.
On June 2 at 12:22 p.m., Kenai police responded to a report of two females stealing large power tools from a local department store and leaving the scene. Officers traffic-stopped the suspect vehicle and, after investigation, Kristina N. Wheeler, 32, of Kenai, was arrested for third-degree theft and tampering with physical evidence and was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility.
On June 2 at 8:09 p.m., Kenai police received a report of an assault. After investigation, Paul L. Pingayak, 35, of Kenai, was arrested for two counts of second-degree assault (domestic violence) and two counts of interfering with the report of a crime involving domestic violence and was taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On June 2 at 11:55 p.m., Kenai police conducted a routine traffic stop near Mile 11 of the Kenai Spur Highway. The driver, Isaiah J. Trevino, 19, of Kenai, was issued a summons for fifth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance.
On June 1 at 5:28 p.m., Kenai police responded to a report of a female who was not responding and was slumped-over in a vehicle parked at a local business near Mile 11 of the Kenai Spur Highway. Alexandria M. Hensley, 23, of Kenai, was contacted and arrested for driving under the influence and taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On June 1 at 8:28 p.m., a local business near Mile 10 of the Kenai Spur Highway advised the Kenai Police Department that a male suspect from a prior theft case was walking in the parking lot of the store. Kenai police responded and contacted the suspect male, Trevor B. Walker, 36, of Soldotna, who was arrested for fourth-degree theft and violating conditions of release and was taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On May 31 at 7:09 a.m., Kenai police received a third-party report of a dispute at a business on the Kenai Bridge Road. Officers responded, and investigation led to the arrest of Robert W. Huff, Jr., 22, of Oakland, California, on a charge of fourth-degree assault (domestic violence). Also arrested was Khalil A. Thomas, 24, of Anchorage, on a charge of third-degree assault. Both were taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On May 31 at 4:48 p.m. Kenai police responded to a business near Mile 10.5 of the Kenai Spur Highway on a report of trespass. Investigation led to the arrest of Joseph Chikoyak, Jr., 44, of Kenai, on charges of second-degree criminal trespass and violating conditions of release. Chikoyak was taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On May 31 at 11:39 p.m., Kenai police responded to Auk Street on the report of an intoxicated driver and arrested Raymond B. Tepp, 35, of Kenai, on a charge of driving under the influence. Tepp was also charged with breath test refusal and taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On May 30 at 1:22 p.m., Kenai police were called to a business near Mile 10.5 of the Kenai Spur Highway on the report of a shoplifter. Officer investigation resulted in the arrest of Dylan Sullens, 22, of Nikiski, on charges of fourth-degree theft and violating conditions of release. Sullens was taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On May 30 at 2:06 p.m., Kenai police had contact with Shelly R. West, 42, of Kenai. A routine records check resulted in West being arrested on an outstanding Soldotna Alaska State Troopers warrant for six counts of second-degree theft. West was taken to Wildwood Pretrial on the no bail warrant.
On May 30 at 4:28 p.m., Kenai police had contact with James E. Barber, 37, of Anchorage, near the Kenai Spur Highway/Bridge Access Road intersection. Barber was found to have an outstanding Soldotna Alaska State Troopers warrant for failure to appear for pretrial conference on original charges of fourth-degree assault, fifth-degree criminal mischief, tampering with or damaging a vehicle, $500 bail. Barber was taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On May 30 at 4:45 p.m., Kenai police responded to a domestic disturbance on California Avenue. Investigation resulted in the arrest of Dawnielle K. Seierup, 27, of Kenai, on a charge of fourth-degree assault (domestic violence). Seierup was taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On May 23 at 9:01 a.m., Alaska State Troopers received a report of a trailer and other items being stolen from an address on Leber Street in Homer. Investigation showed that a small utility trailer and other items had been stolen the previous night. The trailer was recovered by troopers prior to its being reported stolen, after troopers located it with other stolen items from a separate theft investigation. A suspect was identified and, on June 3, after it was determined he had stolen the trailer, troopers arrested Scott Deboard, 23, of Kasilof, and took him to Wildwood Pretrial Facility.
On May 14 at 2:35 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received a report that someone had stolen gas and a red six-gallon gas tank from a commercial fishing site on the Ninilchik Beach. During an unrelated investigation, Scott Deboard, 23, of Kasilof, was found in possession of the gas can. Deboard was remanded into Wildwood Pretrial for this case on June 3, while he was already in custody on unrelated charges.
On June 2, Alaska State Troopers responded to a residence on Birch Street in Kenai for a follow-up investigation. Troopers recovered tools stolen on May 28 from Epperheimer Incorporated in Nikiski at the residence. Investigation revealed that McGerra L. Beck, 36, of Sterling, sold tools stolen from the business to a resident on Birch Street. Beck was not at the residence at the time. An arrest warrant for Beck for second-degree theft has been sent to the Kenai Court.
On June 3 at 9:27 p.m., Soldotna Alaska State Troopers responded to a disturbance in the Sport Lake area. Investigation resulted in the arrest of Robert Green, 37, of Soldotna, for two counts of fourth-degree assault (domestic violence). Green was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility without bail.
ORIGINAL NOTICE: On May 13 at about 4:00 a.m., Granite Construction reported to Soldotna Alaska State Troopers that one of their F450 trucks had been stolen from the job site near Mile 110 of the Sterling Highway. The truck was reported to have a jersey barrier picker in the back, valued at approximately $5,000. At about 4:30 a.m., the vehicle was spotted on the Sterling Highway, and at about 4:35 a.m., troopers attempted to stop the truck. The driver failed to stop and, after a short pursuit, the driver ditched the truck behind the Decanter Inn and fled in to the woods. The truck was recovered with no damage, but the jersey barrier picker was missing. Further investigation on May 14 located the jersey barrier picker in a gravel pit off Dorothy Drive, off Tustumena Lake Road. A suspect has been identified, and investigation is continuing.
UPDATE: The investigation in to this incident identified the suspect as Scott Allan Deboard, 23, of Kasilof. Deboard was arrested on June 1 at about 1:40 a.m. in the Soldotna area on multiple outstanding arrest warrants. Deboard was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility, where he was held without bail on the arrest warrants as well as additional charges in relation to multiple burglaries and thefts. Regarding this investigation, Deboard was charged with first-degree vehicle theft, second-degree theft, fourth-degree theft, and first-degree failure to stop for a peace officer.
On June 3, when Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted a patrol of Centennial Lake, Dustin Stoddard, 54, of Kasilof, was observed fishing at the lake. When Stoddard was contacted, he was unable to provide a valid 2019 fishing license. He was issued a correctable citation for sport fishing without a license in possession. Bail was set at $220
On Apr. 29 at 9:28 a.m., Alaska Wildlife Troopers had received a Wildlife Safeguard tip that a bear bait station was placed on the Summit Creek Trail. Wildlife Troopers investigated the incident and found that Daryl Laliberte, 30, of Anchorage, did unlawfully bear bait within one-quarter of a mile from a publicly maintained trail. Laliberte had another bear bait station off the Johnson Pass Trail that was also within one quarter of a mile off of the trail. Laliberte was issued two citations, both with mandatory court appearances.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers from Cordova, Valdez, Anchorage, Soldotna, and Dutch Harbor participated in a patrol of the Copper River Flats Salmon Opener. Prince William Sound and specifically the Copper River is typically one of the first and most lucrative fisheries to open in the State. Preseason prices for chinook salmon were being advertised at market for from $50 to $75 per pound. Prices for the fishermen delivering to the processors were about $10 per pound for sockeye and $14 per pound for chinook. There are about 500 drift gillnetter permits registered in Prince William Sound, and a large portion of those permit holders were present for the first couple of openers. In conjunction with the Commercial Opener, there was a Subsistence Salmon Opener as well. During this period, Alaska Wildlife Troopers utilized a Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter (Helo 3) and a DPS Supercub as well as the P/V Bering. Wildlife troopers made over 75 combined contacts, issued five citations, and gave several warnings.
On June 4 at about 6:00 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received report of a single-vehicle crash near Mile 28 of the Kenai Spur Highway. Troopers responded to the site of the crash, where medics from Nikiski were already on scene. Investigation revealed that Baykham Xayasomroth, 52, of Anchorage, fell asleep while driving and ran off the road. The driver and one passenger were not hurt. However, two other passengers were taken to Central Peninsula Hospital for minor injuries. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in this incident.
On May 16 at 1:02 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received a report from the owner of Permafrost Distributors that two individuals were at his store the day before and stole a “sniff jar”. Investigation revealed that Amber Barr, 29, of Anchorage, and Jericka Roundtree, 42, of Anchorage, had worked together to steal the jar that was full of marijuana. Barr and Roundtree were charged with fourth-degree theft and concealment of merchandise.
On May 20 at 6:45 a.m., Soldotna police received multiple REDDI (Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately) reports involving a vehicle on the Sterling Highway. Officers contacted the driver of the vehicle in the Fred Meyer parking lot. Timothy Hildereth, 54, of Nikiski, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and breath test refusal and taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility.
On May 20 at about 10:00 p.m., Soldotna police stopped a vehicle on the Sterling Highway near Birch Street. Mary Burdick, 57, of Sterling, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and taken to Wildwood Pretrial.
On June 4 at 1:26 a.m., Kenai police responded to a trespass near Mile 10.5 of the Kenai Spur Highway. Joseph Chikoyak, Jr., 44, of Kenai, was arrested for second-degree criminal trespass and taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility.
On June 6 at about 11:00 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received report of a disturbance in the area of Luana Avenue in Nikiski. Investigation revealed that Gray Grady, 24, of Nikiski, was in possession of a prohibited weapon while intoxicated and that he had operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Grady was arrested for third-degree and fourth-degree misconduct involving weapons and driving under the influence and was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility without bail.
BEWARE OF THIS REOCCURRING PHONE SCAM: An individual, usually a male, calls and identifies himself as a trooper, using various names and ranks. The caller advises people that they, or one of their family members, have active warrants or are out of compliance and they must pay their bail to him or face arrest and possible additional fines. The caller explains they can pay him with prepaid credit cards to take care of the warrants. He may also provide call back numbers, which usually go directly to an answering machine if they are called. This scam has taken place in communities all across Alaska. Be aware that the Alaska State Troopers will NOT ask for payment over the phone or offer to negotiate for reduced payment in lieu of arrest. If you are concerned that you may have a warrant for your arrest with the troopers, you can look at the active warrants website: http://dps.alaska.gov/AST/warrants/. You can also look up the phone number for your local law enforcement agency, to see if they can verify if a warrant is in existence and obtain information on how to correctly deal with the situation. No law enforcement agency will collect funds during a phone call or ask that payment be made using pre-paid credit cards that are obtained from convenience stores. If you believe you have been a victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement. For Alaska State Troopers local post contact information visit: https://dps.alaska.gov/AST/Contacts
