Alaska News

Blotter: Snow, strippers and a skimming scam

It was tough driving for Alaskans this week, with ditches and repair shops alike backed up for miles.

On Wednesday in Ketchikan a state plow truck was clearing the top of Bearberry Road when the 23-year-old driver lost traction and slid across the road and over the embankment. The truck came to rest against a large tree, at which point the driver was lucky enough to get away with minor injuries to his hand. The state's truck, however, was completely totaled.

Meanwhile in Southcentral, as the snow piled up and the roads went from bad to really bad, the Anchorage Police Department reported 60 "vehicles in distress" on Tuesday, 66 on Wednesday, and 111 on Thursday.

And while Anchorage and others on the road system struggled through the weather, in another part of the state at least one Alaskan could have used a little more ice.

On Tuesday Elim resident Art Amaktoolik walked out onto ice-crusted Norton Bay to check his crab pots, but when the 36-year-old tried to return to shore there was open water between him and land. Around 2 p.m. a rescue boat ran out and picked him up, and the unlucky crabber was probably thankful for the ride.

Reached later in the week, Art was modest about his adventure out on the ice.

"Just a little minor mishap," he said. "It was nothing."

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And in the stolen and recovered department, a purple 2002 Arctic Cat snowmachine was kidnapped from a North Pole residence, along with its title. Troopers cracked the case pretty quickly, arresting the 16-year-old thief two days later.

In news that hit a little closer to home, one Dispatch staffer had her debit card number stolen this week. Her theory? It was lifted by some kind of skimming device at the Carrs Huffman gas station. When she called to report the crime, police told her it's happened to over 100 people in the last week. Called for comment, an APD spokeswoman would only say many Huffman area residents have had their cards compromised, and it's under investigation.

Finally, when Hallie Dean McGinnis, owner of Spenard strip club P.J.'s, pled guilty to running a "drug-involved premise," part of her sentence was the forfeiture of the club. You might expect that to mean that the club's days were numbered, but according to at least one P.J.'s employee, you'd be wrong.

During a quick call to the club the day after McGinnis' plea, the woman who answered said the phone said yes, of course they were open that night.

"Don't believe everything you read, honey," she said. "We're going to be open for a long time."

Contact Joshua Saul at jsaul_alaskadispatch.com.

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