WASILLA -- Two U.S. Army Alaska soldiers were arrested on a driving under the influence call near Wasilla early Sunday after one got tackled and the other knocked himself out running into a tree, Alaska State Troopers said.
The call started at 6:15 a.m. Sunday after troopers responded to a report that a blue 2001 Ford Ranger pickup hit a parked van on Basie Point Circle in Meadow Lakes. The pickup went a little ways down the road, then got stuck, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said. The two men inside fled as soon as troopers arrived.
Driver Wayne Parker, 21, got about 30 feet before a trooper tackled him, Peters said. Passenger Christopher Crawford, also 21, ran into the woods but hit a tree and knocked himself unconscious, she said.
Troopers estimated Parker's blood-alcohol level at double the legal limit for driving. He was arrested for driving under the influence and taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility on $500 bail.
Crawford, the owner of the truck, had a loaded handgun in the glove compartment, Peters said. He was arrested for fourth-degree misconduct involving weapons for possession of a handgun while under the influence of alcohol and taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility on $1,000 bail.
Both men are specialists assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, according to U.S. Army Alaska spokesman John Pennell.
Reach Zaz Hollander at zhollander@adn.com or 257-4317.
By ZAZ HOLLANDER