Trooper Forum

Alaska State Troopers & Law Enforcement

"The police must obey the law while enforcing the law."
- U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren (1891-1974) -

8/28/08 - Trooper loses job after pleading guilty to felony - An Alaska State Trooper has lost his job following his conviction on a charge that he forged prescriptions to get narcotic painkillers, troopers said Wednesday. Anchorage Daily News Published: August 28th, 2008 12:49 AM.

8/27/08 - Trooper gets suspended sentencing after plea - A former Alaska State Trooper has received a suspended sentence after being charged with forging prescriptions for narcotic pain medications. - The Associated Press Published: August 27th, 2008.

8/22/08 - Trooper charged with forging prescriptions - Authorities say a Fairbanks-based Alaska State Trooper has been charged with forging prescriptions for narcotic pain medications. The Associated Press - Published: August 22nd, 2008 01:08 PM
7/29/08 - Hunting Laws Need Apply to All, Even Troopers - Craig Medred - Outdoors ADN.
7/27/08 Is Wooten a good trooper? - Palin's Ex Brother-in-law: Union says yes, but investigation found serious concerns. He's the governor's ex-brother-in-law, and his job as an Alaska State Trooper is drawing scrutiny in a way rarely seen except in cases of killings by officers. By Lisa Demer - ADN.
PDF: Complaint memo against Wooten, 4/11/05

PDF: Troopers warning to Wooten re DV complaint, 4/12/05

PDF: Transcript of interview with Sarah Palin and state troopers, 05/02/2005

PDF: State trooper notes on interview with Sarah Palin, 08/08/2005

PDF: State trooper notes on interview with Sarah Palin, 05/02/2005

PDF: State trooper notes on interview with Todd Palin 08/08/2005

PDF: Transcript of troopers interview with Wooten, 9/14/05

PDF: E-mail from Chuck Heath to troopers re Wooten, 10/11/05

PDF: Troopers memo of findings on Wooten, 10/29/05

PDF: E-mail from Palin to Alaska State Troopers regarding Wooten 8/10/05

PDF: Document with backup information for troopers findings in investigation

PDF: Grimes memo overturning some of 10/29/05 findings

PDF: Correction/addition to memo of 10/29/05 findings

PDF: Letter from Col. Julia Grimes suspending Wooten, 3/1/06
7/25/08 - Kopp steps down as Public Safety chief - Megan Holland - ADN.
New Public Safety Commissioner Charles Kopp Holds Press Conference
7/19/08 - Monegan Fired - Gov. Sarah Palin fumbled badly with the sudden and clumsy way she fired Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The 30-year veteran officer and former Anchorage police chief was quite popular in his ranks and said he'd never been told the governor had concerns about his performance.
7/18/08 - Monegan says he was pressured to fire trooper - Former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan on Friday said that since Gov. Sarah Palin took office, members of her administration and family pressured him to fire a Palmer Alaska State Trooper to whom her sister was involved in a bitter child custody battle. - Megan Holland - ADN.
4/28/08 Homer jail guard investigated - Jailer choked suspect, report says; no charges filed - BY MICHAEL ARMSTRONG STAFF WRITER Homer News.
3/28/08 Wasilla police shot and killed a 42-year-old Big Lake man in a shootout Tuesday afternoon near Mile 2.7 of Big Lake Road. Troopers said John R. Rivera, 42, died when Wasilla police returned fire after Rivera shot at them with a hand gun. The names of the officers involved in the shooting are not being released pending further investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation. By MATT TUNSETH/Frontiersman
Published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 2:21 PM AKDT
3/7/08 Judge grants mistrial for porn case - The trial of Sammy Cohen, a former Anchorage police officer charged with sexually abusing his daughter and possessing child pornography, was called off Thursday. ADN By JULIA O'MALLEY
3/7/08 - Sexual assault trial called off for former police officer (Sammy Cohen): A trial for a former Anchorage police officer accused of sexually abusing a minor and possessing child pornography has been called off. - The Associated Press.
2/27/08 - Wildlife official cited in illegal moose kill - 'MISTAKE': Mike Fleagle turns himself in, pleads no contest. By James Halpin - Published: February 27th, 2008 12:29 AM - Anchorage Daily News
2/23/08 - Natives in Aniak claim troopers use racial profiling - The Associated Press - Published Saturday, February 23, 2008
2/17/08 - Aniak wants [Alaska State] Troopers out (Like living with Big Brother) - February 17, 2008 - Jill Burke - KTUU TV
1/10/08 - Former cop re-arrested on child-porn charge. Bryan N. Herrera, 44, is charged with three counts of possessing child pornography. Investigators found nearly 5,000 images on his computer, according to a police affidavit filed in court. Anchorage Daily News - by James Halpin.
10/18/05 - Anchorage police officer arrested on child porn charges. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A 12-year veteran of the Anchorage Police Department was arraigned today on four felony counts involving child pornography - becoming the second city police officer in the last four months to face such charges. Juneau Daily News.
9/28/07 - Trooper Colonel defends Spitzer - Alaska State Troopers are defending one of their own tonight, saying Eric Spitzer is a good trooper. Spitzer has been named in at least four excessive force civil lawsuits, three of them have resulted in the state settling. The jury sided with Spitzer in the fourth case. By Megan Baldino - Friday, Sept. 28, 2007- KTUU TV

9/27/07 - Reaction to excessive force settlement - Alaska State Trooper Eric Spitzer has repeatedly been accused of excessive force, allegations that have cost the state nearly $700,000. The latest lawsuit was settled yesterday for $575,000. By Megan Baldino Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 - KTUU
9/26/07 - State Settles Another Lawsuit Over Trooper Excessive Force - ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The State of Alaska has settled a lawsuit today concerning the use of excessive force by Alaska State Trooper Eric Spitzer. An attorney says its the third time the state has had to settle over Spitzer's actions. By Megan Baldino - 9/26/07 - KTUU TV
8/12/07 - Travis Taric Hedlund, age 30 of Soldotna, had assaulted three individuals at the residence. Alcohol was a factor. Hedlund was arrested for three counts of Assault 4th-DV. He was remanded at Wildwood Pretrial and held with no bail pending arraignment. Author: MJW0 Received Tuesday, August 14, 2007 8:14 AM and posted Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:12 PM. - www.dps.state.ak.us.
11/22/04 - State Trooper arrested after allegedly assaulting his wife - 27 year-old Travis Hedlund, a Trooper with the Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement in Soldotna, was arrested Saturday without incident according to the Troopers. - KINY Radio Juneau News.
8/10/07- Alaska State Troopers arrested Junior Anthony, age 35 of North Pole, for violation of conditions of release. Alaska State Troopers Press Release.
5/10/07 - A Grand Jury in Fairbanks indicted Junior Anthony, age 35 of North Pole, on two counts of Sexual Assault II following his arrest on 5/5/07. Alaska State Troopers Press Release.

5/7/07 - Trooper charged with sexual assault - A local Alaska State Trooper is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl while he was off-duty. Trooper Junior Anthony, 35, was arraigned Sunday on two charges of second-degree sexual assault. He was arrested at his North Pole home on Saturday. By: Margaret Friedenauer Staff Writer Published 5/7/07 - Fairbanks Daily Miner.

3/9/07 - Jail cop sex with inmate, prosecutors say - Alaska - A former officer at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center faces a sexual assault charge after authorities claim he had sex with a female inmate. Jackie Osborne, 47, is accused of having an ongoing relationship with an inmate and was caught in September when he left a love note on a desk after he went off duty, according to documents filed by prosecutors in Anchorage Superior Court today - Megan Holland Daily News - http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/8694653p-8593450c.html

10/31/06 - Former Alaska State Trooper John Patrick Addis - On The Run After Murdering Girlfriend in Nevada, Found Dead In Guatemala. Bad Cop News.com
10/16/06 - State Supreme Court Finds Illegal Search By Fairbanks Alaska Police Wasn’t Justified, Overturns Conviction - Bad Cop News
9/29/06 - Woman Awarded $250K In Excessive Force Lawsuit After North Slope Alaska Police Officer (Now A Detective With Palmer PD) Kelly Turney And Another Assaulted And Choked 16 Year Old Girl, Duct Taping Her Mouth - Bad Cop News
9/15/06 - Crazed Alaska State Trooper Uses Bulldozer To Destroy Man’s Home During Stand-Off - Bad Cop News
8/10/06 - 3rd Arrest for Trooper, Charged Again With Assault - An Alaska state trooper already arrested twice for assaulting a former girlfriend and on administrative leave was arrested a third time Tuesday in Cordova and charged with assaulting another woman at a local bar. Clinton Songer, 30, in the most recent case is accused of pushing his ex-wife to the ground, causing her arm to bruise after she asked him to leave a bar where she was having her birthday party Saturday night. - Daily News reporter Megan Holland can be reached at mrholland@adn.com. posted August 10, 2006.
2/9/06 - Alaska State Trooper Clinton Songer -arrested on domestic violence charges. - Juneau Daily News

7/28/06 - North Pole Alaska Police Officer William Perry Sentenced To Just 6 Months In Prison After Bribery Attempt In Witness Tampering Case
7/1/06 - Man Who Died in Scuffle At Jail was Fighting Cancer, family says - The family of a Fairbanks man who died after suffering a broken neck in a struggle with state correctional officers at an Anchorage jail says the man was frail and battling cancer. Kevin Fitzgerald, an Anchorage lawyer representing the family of Douglas Jensen, said Jensen's family, most of whom are in California, is considering a lawsuit against the state claiming the use of excessive force. By Megan Holland Anchorage Daily News.

4/26/06 - Former North Pole Police Officer Charged with Felonies Related to Witness Tampering and Interference with Official Proceedings. Media Advisory Office of Special Prosecutions & Appeals.
4/18/06 - Former Nome Police Officer Matthew Owens Sentenced to 101 Years In Prison For Killing Teen Girl While On Duty Bad Cop New.
2/10/06 - State settles lawsuit in trooper shooting - Juneau Empire.

2/16/03 - Alaska State Trooper Arthur Jesse Osborn - Trooper known for history of aggression. Controversy follows officer who killed disabled man at pullout By Lisa Demer Anchorage Daily News

Trooper Shooting - State Fails Duty to Alaskans by keeping facts under wraps.
8/25/05 - A 34-year-old Ketchikan police officer (Jonathan Clouse) is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and fourth-degree weapons misconduct while off duty. - Juneau Daily News.

8/17/05 - Ex-trooper gets 4 years for sex assault - Associated Press

8/15/05 - Former State Trooper Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Three Aniak Women - State of Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions & Appeals.

6/3/05 - Trooper Assault Lawsuit Settled - Women get $1 million from State - Anchorage Daily News.

11/18/04 - Alaska State Trooper Daniel L. Scott - Trooper held on 11 criminal charges . Accusations include kidnapping, sexual assault and assault
6/27/05 - The wife of Anchorage police officer Sammy Cohen, who stands accused of sexually abusing a minor and possessing child pornography, says he is not guilty.
10/19/04 - Alaska State Trooper Eric Spitzer - $1 million plus awarded in excessive force arrest.
7/1/03 - Alaska State Trooper Todd VanLiere - Judge sides with family in hunting case - State trooper chastised for bullying, lying about hunting violation.
11/1/01 - Man files excessive force lawsuit against Troopers - FAIRBANKS (AP) -- A lawsuit has been filed against the Alaska Department of Public Safety and three Alaska State Troopers by a man who says troopers detained him unlawfully and used excessive force after he witnessed a Fairbanks bar stabbing in 1999. - Peninsula Clarion
1999 - ExNome Chief of Police Robert L. Kauer - KAUER CASE UPDATE - The Federal Wildlife Officer - Fall 1999