BUSTED IN THE BUTTE
Portions from Trooper Dispatch
http://www.dps.state.ak.us/dispatch

"ANY CHARGES REPORTED IN THESE PRESS RELEASES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS AND THE DEFENDANTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNLESS AND UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY"

BUTTE...ATTEMPT MURDER II AND ASSAULT III...ON 8/3/03 AT APPROX. 0100 HRS, ALASKA STATE TROOPERS RESPONDED TO KNIK RIVER ACCESS, MILE 9 OLD GLENN HWY IN PALMER, FOR A REPORT OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAD BEEN STRUCK BY A VEHICLE AND THEN ASSAULTED BY MULTIPLE PERSONS. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT 19 YOA BENJAMIN E WILSON OF PALMER, DRIVING A 1983 DODGE PICK UP TRUCK, AK PLATE DKS629, HAD ASSAULTED 25 YOA TERRANCE L WEATHERS OF EAGLE RIVER, WHEN WILSON STRUCK THE REAR TIRE OF WEATHERS' MOTORCYCLE WITH THE PICK UP TRUCK, CAUSING WEATHERS TO FALL TO THE GROUND AND INJURE HIS ARM. ALSO, WILSON INTENTIONALLY CHASED 23 YOA TRAVIS W PETITT OF EAGLE RIVER, WHO WAS OPERATING AN ATV, AND STRUCK THE REAR OF THE ATV WITH HIS VEHICLE, DEMONSTRATING AN EXTREME INDIFFERENCE TO THE VALUE OF PETTIT'S LIFE, CAUSING THE ATV TO ROLL ONTO ITS SIDE AND COMING TO REST UNDER THE PICK UP TRUCK. PETTIT WAS THROWN FROM THE ATV, AND SUSTAINED INJURIES TO HIS LEFT AND AND POSSIBLY HIS LOWER ABDOMINAL AREA. DAMAGE TO THE TRUCK WAS LESS THEN $500.00. DAMAGE TO THE MOTORCYCLE IS ESTIMATED AT $1,000.00. DAMAGE TO THE ATV IS ESTIMATED AT $4,500.00. ALL THREE WERE TREATED AND RELEASED FROM VALLEY HOSPITAL FOR INJURES SUSTAINED IN THE INCIDENT. WILSON WAS ARRESTED ON ATTEMPTED MURDER II, ASSAULT III, AND TAKEN TO MSPT WHERE HE WAS HELD ON $100,000.00 BAIL. THE INVESTIGATION IS CONTINUING. (DAC1_
PALMER...DUI...ON 8/3/03 AT 0531 HRS, TROOPERS STOPPED AN ATV DRIVING ON THE ROADWAY IN THE BUTTE AREA. A SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ROBERT DYE, AGE 33 OF PALMER, WAS INTOXICATED. DYE WAS ARRESTED AND TRANSPORTED TO THE MAT-SU PRE-TRIAL WHERE HE WAS REMANDED FOR DUI. (CHH0)
BUTTE...FELONY ELUDE/DWI/MIW IV/RECKLESS...ON 7/27/03 AT APPROXIMATELY 0040 HOURS, ALASKA STATE TROOPERS ATTEMPTED TO STOP A WHILE 1984 TOYOTA PICKUP TRUCK, BEARING AK PLATE DNZ827, ON SULLIVAN ROAD IN THE BUTTE AREA OF PALMER FOR NO TAILLIGHTS, WHEN THE DRIVER FAILED TO YIELD. THE PURSUIT ENDED APPROX. 2 MILES, WHEN THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL AND SLID INTO A WOODED AREA OFF THE TRAIL LEADING INTO JIM CREEK OFF CAUDILL ROAD. THE DRIVER WAS IDENTIFIED AS 23 YOA TOBIAS J. MORRIS OF PALMER, WHO WAS DETERMINED TO BE OPERATING THE VEHICLE WHILE INTOXICATED AND IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM. DEPARTMENT RECORDS INDICATED MORRIS TO HAVE AN OUTSTANDING ARREST WARRANT FOR THE AMOUNT OF $500 DOLLARS. MORRIS WAS ARRESTED ON THE CHARGES OF FELONY ELUDING, DWI, MISCONDUCT INVOLVING WEAPONS IV, RECKLESS DRIVING, AND THE OUTSTANDING ARREST WARRANT. MORRIS WAS TAKEN TO MATSU PRE-TRIAL FACILITY WHERE HE WAS HELD ON THE $500 DOLLAR WARRANT AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL $4,000 BAIL FOR THE ADDITIONAL CHARGES. (DAC1)
PALMER...VEHICLE THEFT I, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF...ON 4/6/03 AT 0300 HOURS, STATE TROOPERS RESPONDED TO A JUVENILE PARTY IN THE JIM CREEK AREA. A CONCERNED PERSON WHO WAS CAMPING NEARBY OBSERVED SEVERAL TEENS DRIVING AROUND AND TRASHING TWO NEW VEHICLES BELONGING TO A U-HAUL RENTAL COMPANY OUT OF ANCHORAGE AND THEN SET FIRE TO ONE OF THE VEHICLES. INVESTIGATIONS REVEALED A 2002 GMC PICK-UP AND A 2000 GMC PICK-UP BELONGING TO A U-HAUL RENTAL BUSINESS IN ANCHORAGE WAS STOLEN AND DRIVEN OUT TO THE JIM CREEK AREA. ONE VEHICLE WAS SET ON FIRE AND COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS ALSO A TOTAL LOSS. EACH VEHICLE HAD AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF $18,000.00 EACH. AS A RESULT OF THE ABOVE INVESTIGATION, DAVID E CARLSON, AGE 18, BRUCE A SLEDGE, AGE 19, AND JAMES E STINSON, AGE 18, ALL OF ANCHORAGE, WERE ARRESTED AND TRANSPORTED TO MSPT. ALL WERE CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS OF VEHICLE THEFT FIRST DEGREE AND TWO COUNTS OF CRIMINAL MISCHIEF IN THE THIRD DEGREE. FOR EACH PERSON, BAIL WAS SET AT $30,000.00 CASH ONLY BAIL. ALCOHOL WAS A FACTOR IN THE ABOVE CASE AND SEVERAL OTHER CHARGES ARE PENDING WITH OTHERS WHO WERE INVOLVED. (RGT0)

Torched Uhaul Trucks

BUTTE...CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 3RD DEGREE INDICTMENT...(REINDEER SHOOTING UPDATE) ON 3/27/03 A PALMER GRAND JURY RETURNED AN INDICTMENT FOR FIVE COUNTS OF CRIMINAL MISCHIEF IN THE THIRD DEGREE, CLASS "C" FELONY OFFENSES, AGAINST CALEB G. BENNETT, AGE 20, OF THE BUTTE, FOR HAVING ALLEGEDLY SHOT SEVEN REINDEER (FIVE OF WHICH DIED) DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF 1/31/03.

THE INDICTMENT WAS A RESULT OF A TWO MONTH INVESTIGATION BY ALASKA STATE TROOPERS AFTER THOMAS WILLIAMS, OWNER OF THE "REINDEER FARM" ON BODENBURG LOOP ROAD IN THE BUTTE REPORTED THAT SEVEN OF HIS REINDEER HAD BEEN SHOT. WILLIAMS HEARD THE SHOOTING AND OBSERVED A SUSPECT FLEE THE SCENE ON SNOWMACHINE. WILLIAMS ATTEMPTED TO FOLLOW THE SNOWMACHINE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES IN HIS PERSONAL VEHICLE BUT WAS UNABLE TO CAPTURE THE SUSPECT.

FIVE OF THE SEVEN REINDEER DIED AS A RESULT OF THEIR INJURIES. THE DEAD AND INJURED ANIMALS WERE REPORTED BY WILLIAMS TO BE WORTH APPROXIMATELY $15,000.00. STATE TROOPERS OBTAINED EXPENDED CARTRIDGE CASINGS FROM THE SCENE AS WELL AS SOME BULLETS FROM THE DECEASED ANIMALS.

STATE TROOPERS RECEIVED SEVERAL LEADS WHICH PROVED VALUABLE DURING THE INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING ONE FROM A BUTTE RESIDENT WHO WAS OUTRAGED WITH THIS INCIDENT AND SPENT SEVERAL HOURS FOLLOWING THE SUSPECT'S SNOWMACHINE TRACKS THE MORNING OF THE SHOOTING. HE FOLLOWED THE TRACKS TO A RESIDENCE ON JUNIPER STREET IN THE BUTTE. THIS LEAD WAS COUPLED TO A LEAD FROM ANOTHER BUTTE RESIDENT WHO REPORTED THAT HER CABLE SERVICE WAS INTERRUPTED ON 1/31/03. WHEN REPAIR CREWS ARRIVED THEY FOUND WHAT APPEARED TO BE PARTS OF A SNOWMACHINE WHICH HAD DAMAGED A CABLE BOX.

STATE TROOPERS LOCATED A DAMAGED SNOWMACHINE AT A RESIDENCE ON JUNIPER STREET AND OBTAINED CONSENT TO SEIZE FIREARMS FROM THE RESIDENCE. WHEN SUBMITTED TO THE STATE CRIME LABORATORY, , A FIREARM EXAMINER CONCLUSIVELY MATCHED ONE OF THE FIREARMS TO THE FIRED CARTRIDGES LOCATED AT THE SCENE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BENNETT HAD ACCESS TO THE JUNIPER STREET RESIDENCE. BENNETT, WHO HAD BEEN EMPLOYED BY WILLIAMS AND WORKED ON THE "REINDEER FARM" FOR A BRIEF TIME IN 1998, IS BELIEVED TO HAVE LEFT THE STATE OF ALASKA.

AN ARREST WARRANT WAS ISSUED FOR BENNETT BY THE PALMER COURT WITH BAIL SET AT $50,000.00 AND COURT APPROVED THIRD PARTY CUSTODIAN. IN ADDITION TO THE INDICTMENT COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED IN THE PALMER COURT BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CHARGING BENNET WITH SEVEN MISDEMEANOR COUNTS OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS AND ONE COUNT OF MISCONDUCT INVOLVING WEAPONS IN THE 4TH DEGREE. ALASKA STATE TROOPERS CONTINUE THEIR EFFORTS TO LOCATE BENNETT AND RETURN HIM TO ALASKA FOR PROSECUTION. (DEC0)