Crime & Courts

Man accused of trying to pull handgun during DUI arrest

A 31-year-old Palmer man is accused of trying to pull a handgun on troopers while being arrested early Thursday on suspicion of driving an all-terrain vehicle while intoxicated.

About 12:20 a.m., Alaska State Troopers responded to a report of a dangerous driver near mile 3 of the Knik-Goose Bay Road in Wasilla, according to a trooper dispatch posted Thursday.

Troopers found the suspected vehicle a short time later near mile 4, and discovered that Derrick D. Peterson was driving his 2001 Arctic Cat side-by-side ATV while intoxicated and while his driver's license was revoked, the dispatch said.

While being taken into custody, Peterson lunged away from the arresting officer and tried to get back on the vehicle, said Megan Peters, troopers spokeswoman. The trooper then saw that Peterson had a gun and was trying to reach for it, Peters said.

The trooper and Peterson "went to the ground and were struggling back and forth" before the trooper detained him, Peters said.

Troopers also said Peterson tried to use a fake name and date of birth, and refused to provide a breath sample after the DUI arrest.

Peterson was taken to the Mat-Su Pretrial facility, where he was being held without bail. Because of a prior felony conviction, Peterson faces felony weapons misconduct charges in addition to assault, DUI, resisting arrest and other charges related to the incident.

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Reach Devin Kelly at dkelly@adn.com or 257-4314.

By DEVIN KELLY

dkelly@adn.com

Devin Kelly

Devin Kelly was an ADN staff reporter.

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