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On July 22, Prince of Wales based Troopers were notified of an apparent trespass/theft in progress on Port Saint Nicholas Road. A resident contacted troopers after she observed a male being dropped off by another individual driving a white truck. That male then appeared to be stealing items from a vehicle belonging to her neighbor. The male fled into the woods when confronted by the resident. Troopers responded and identified two individuals who admitted their involvement to the attempted theft of vehicle parts. During the investigation, one...
Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart reported on Wednesday that Randall Long from Petersburg, has been indicted by a federal Grand Jury for Possession with the Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine, against USC 841(a)(1)&(b)(1)(a). It is likely that state prosecutors will defer to the United States Attorney for prosecution, Swihart added. Long currently faces three State drug related charges: Count I (Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd Degree) of the indictment charges that Long possessed with the intent to deliver 2.5...
A grand jury indicted Randal K. Long on three counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance on Wednesday May 24. Long was arrested by the Petersburg Police Department on April 26 after search warrants were executed and 1,500 doses of Methamphetamine were seized from two locations. The indictment allows prosecutors to proceed with a criminal case against Long. The search was carried out with the cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies. The seized drugs had a street value of...
Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart executed a search warrant at 5 p.m. Wednesday evening, made two arrests and seized approximately 1,500 doses of Methamphetamine from two locations at 503B and 409 Ira II Street. Randy K. Long, 53, a Petersburg resident, was arrested on a single charge of Fugitive from Justice. He is being held in the Petersburg jail on a $250,000 cash only bail. Swihart said Long faces arrest in Maricopa, Arizona on charges of Credit Card Fraud and Credit Card Theft and...
Petersburg Police Department searched a residence at #12 Towne Trailer Park and recovered 6 one-quart mason jars of marijuana, more than one ounce of methamphetamine, two handguns and cash. The warrant was served on Feb. 3. One of the handguns was reported stolen locally last year. The methamphetamine represents about 160 typical dosage units with a street value of about $8,000, according to a department press release. Several people, all of whom have been identified, occupied the residence. PPD has been in contact with the prosecutor’s o...
JUNEAU (AP) – A 21-year-old man caught transporting methamphetamine on a ferry running between Washington state and Ketchikan, Alaska, has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison. Jason Corey Vincent Alto was sentenced last week to 20 months in prison, the Juneau Empire reported Sunday. Court documents say Alto was stopped by Alaska troopers in May after a K-9 alerted troopers to 3.2 pounds of meth in his luggage. Federal prosecutors called it the single largest seizure of methamphetamine in southeast Alaska. Alto was charged with p...
December 30, 1916 – It is reported that Chief Steward Page of the Americ awoke in his berth Tuesday night with the impression that the craft was sinking. He rushed uptown for help. When Hogue had sauntered out to the float he found the boat had hit bottom all right – but the tide was out. The listing of the craft, together with the running of water from a sink, caused the steward's illusion. The Americ “bobbed up serenely” with the tide and sailed next day with merchandise freight for all points on her run. January 2, 1942 – The closing days of...
Editor's note: Part two of a two-part series The idea of setting a tolerance when dealing with hard drugs and addiction in Petersburg might seem odd. But tackling the problems associated with drugs will take more than relying on law enforcement alone, it's a "systemic problem," according to local Police Chief Kelly Swihart. "It really is a multifaceted issue that the community is going to have to put their foot down, set their level of tolerance and then be committed and follow through," he...
Editor's Note: Part one of a two-part series. Casey DenAdel was born and raised in Petersburg, and it's where her life of substance abuse began. She started using alcohol as a teenager and found herself spending 20 years in active addiction. There are months of her life she doesn't remember. "I was a binge drinker in middle school and high school, then I graduated to cocaine and then methamphetamine was my drug of choice," she says. "I have just a little over two years in recovery." For... Full story
The bail has been raised for a man involved in the latest drug bust in Petersburg. On June 6, police searched 214 North Nordic Drive Apt #5 and found Sovanmony “Mony” Mao, 43, hiding in a closet after the Petersburg Court issued a warrant. “In the closet where Mao was hiding, a knife was found, multiple baggies, a scale and more packaged suspected methamphetamine,” a criminal complaint states. “The total weight of methamphetamine recovered was approximately 60.00 grams. Officers recovered approximately 45 baggies of methamphetamine along with l...
On November 4, 2014 614 Petersburg voters, 58 percent of those who turned out, scratched their pencils on a ballot, darkening a little oval marked ‘yes’ to Ballot Measure 2, titled “An Act to Tax and Regulate the Production, Sale and Use of Marijuana.” In the description of the potential law, the first line of the ballot measure read, “This bill would tax and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana.” According to Petersburg Borough data, 39 percent of voters turned out for the November 2014 election, which, besides the vote for borou... Full story
Local, state and federal law enforcement made two arrests this week associated with the possession and distribution of methamphetamine. After the Petersburg Court issued a warrant June 6, police searched 214 North Nordic Drive Apt # 5 and found suspect Mao Sovanmony, 43, hiding in a closet. “In the closet where Mao was hiding, a knife was found, multiple baggies, a scale and more packaged suspected methamphetamine,” a criminal complaint states. “The total weight of methamphetamine recovered was approximately 60.00 grams. Officers recov...
Petersburg Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported the following during the May 2 Assembly meeting: Un-cruise insurance has paid all but $7,652 of the Middle Harbor repair. Staff has invoiced the remaining balance. Officer Dodson and Dispatcher Huettl resigned on April 18, 2016. A search is underway to fill the positions with one FT dispatcher and one three quarter time dispatcher. This will reduce police coverage and personnel costs slightly. Abatement on the municipal building began May 2. Chief Swihart was appointed to the Alaska Police St...
Lawrence (Lori) Christiansen was sentenced this week after admitting guilt for charges related to the distribution of heroin and methamphetamine. The state’s case against Lars Christensen, who was also facing charges of two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd and 3rd degrees, was dismissed in February. Federal and local authorities arrested Lars and his brother Lawrence Christensen in January after receiving and handling a package containing 25 grams of heroin and 36 grams of methamphetamine addressed to their m... Full story
As part of a plea deal, the state dismissed two drug distribution charges against Lars Christensen after his brother, Lawrence Christensen, entered guilty pleas to two counts, one of which was reduced. Both men were facing charges of two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd and 3rd degrees. Lawrence entered guilty pleas Feb. 4 to attempted misconduct involving a controlled substance in the 2nd degree and misconduct involving a controlled substance in the 3rd degree, both Class B felonies. Federal and local...
The state’s case against Lars Christensen, who was facing charges of two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd and 3rd degrees, was dismissed yesterday, Feb. 3. Federal and local authorities arrested Lars and his brother Lawrence Christensen last month for receiving and handling a package containing 25 grams of heroin and 36 grams of methamphetamine from the post office. According to the criminal complaint, Lars told police he didn’t know what was in the package but “…knew it was probably illegal. Lars admitte...
In less than a week authorities arrested three individuals on drug distribution charges. On Monday, January 18, after obtaining a search warrant, officers seized Marvin Jackson, 27, and his belongings after arriving in town on an Alaska Airlines flight. "After a search of his belongings a black/brown substance was found wrapped with tape inside a shampoo bottle," the probable cause statement states. "A field test of the substance resulted in a positive reading for heroin." The heroin weighed 22... Full story
The Petersburg Police Department issued a press release stating the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs Task Force (SEACAD), with assistance from the FBI and United States Postal Service, arrested Lars Christensen and Lawrence Christensen on charges of possession of heroin and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. According to the press release, investigators seized more than 500 combined dosage units. Lars and Lawrence are being held in Petersburg on a $25,000 cash bail. “The investigation is ongoing and no further comments will b...
Activities Director Jaime Cabral gave a report to the board on how school districts around the state handle drug testing for students involved in sports and other activities. Around Southeast, Sitka, Juneau-Douglas, Thunder Mountain and Ketchikan High Schools all have a random drug testing programs in place for students participating in activities sanctioned by the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA). Cabral said during his tenure in Sitka about five percent of students who were actively participating in activities were randomly...
Samuel W. Nelson IV, 51, appeared before Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell for a Felony First proceeding on Jan. 29 following his arrest Jan. 28 for alleged crimes involving possession and distribution of methamphetamine. Nelson faces four felony charges: Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 4th Degree, Attempted Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree and Tampering with Physical Evidence. During his court hearing, Nelson was appointed a public...
According to a Petersburg Police press release, on Jan. 28, Petersburg Police and Southeast Alaska City Against Drugs task force, with the assistance of the USPS and FBI, arrested Samuel Nelson, 51, of Petersburg, for alleged crimes involving distribution of methamphetamine, including Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the Third and Fourth Degrees and Tampering with Evidence. Nelson is currently being held on $50,000 bail. Initial investigation revealed that Nelson allegedly imported a significant amount of methamphetamine into... Full story
The Petersburg Police Department may petition the federal government to become designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). A coalition of law enforcement agencies can petition to become a HIDTA region, however, according to the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), no agencies in Southeast have applied. In a report to the assembly several months ago, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht announced that Petersburg was being considered for the HIDTA designation. Police Chief Kelly Swihart said that in N... Full story
Local, state and federal authorities seized during the past year more than a quarter of a million dollars worth of controlled substances, cash and firearms related to the importation of narcotics into Petersburg. The Southeast Alaska Cities against Drugs Task Force, or SEACAD, works with multiple police agencies as well as the United States Postal Inspection Service. According to a Petersburg Borough Police Department press release, investigators seized more than $30,000 in cash and firearms. “Investigators also seized controlled substances i...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A former bookkeeper who embezzled about $500,000 from a Kodiak seafood plant will serve 46 months in a federal prison and make restitution. The U.S. attorney's office says in a release that 33-year-old Isairis Wolfe of Kodiak was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Anchorage on Monday. Officials say she wrote about 52 checks on a Trident Seafoods account to four associates, who would share in the profits after cashing the checks. Prosecutors said Wolfe claimed methamphetamine use clouded her judgment. Officials said she used h...
The Petersburg Police Department received a call from a concerned citizen Sunday, May 5 reporting a possible portable Methamphetamine lab. After further investigation, PPD, with the assistance of SEACAD and the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement, determined it was a portable lab. “A family was out hiking in the Noseeum and Lumber Street area,” Petersburg Police Chief Jim Agner stated. “They found a backpack and looked inside. They suspected it was a meth lab, picked it up, took it to the road and called police.” Agner also stated that he did...
