Irwin Oney, the 25-year-old police chief of Alakanuk, assaulted a village patrol officer last week, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers stationed in the village of Emmonak got a call around 11:54 a.m. May 20 from the Alakanuk Police Department stating that Police Chief Oney was intoxicated and had assaulted the patrol officer. According to their investigation, around 8:30 a.m. Oney was found to be drunk within the borders of Alakanuk, a dry village in Western Alaska along the Yukon River about 15 miles from the Bering Sea. Oney allegedly assaulted the village patrol officer and resisted arrest. Oney was arrested and charged with one count of assault in the fourth degree and one count of resisting arrest. Oney was transported to Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel and arraigned May 21, where he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Alaska Newspapers Inc. contributed to this report.