Alaska News

Troopers: Man who shot moose in North Pole was felon with stolen handgun, drugs

Alaska State Troopers responding to a report of gunfire Friday in a North Pole neighborhood said they found a dead moose and a convicted felon in possession of a stolen handgun and drugs.

The incident started when someone called about shots being fired at about 6:30 a.m. Friday, troopers wrote in an online dispatch published Saturday. When officers arrived, they found a moose that had been shot.

Brian L. Johnson, 41, of North Pole, "had taken a moose during a closed season without a valid AK hunting license," the dispatch said.

The circumstances of what led to the shooting weren't clear Sunday.

Johnson was in other trouble: "It was also determined Johnson was a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, the handgun was stolen property, he shot in the direction of a neighboring residence and was in possession of a controlled substance(s)."

He was arrested and faces charges of weapons misconduct, drug possession, theft and taking a moose out of season. He was scheduled to be arraigned Saturday.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

ADVERTISEMENT