Owner of Kodiak strip-club boat gets probation for dumping human waste

A federal judge on Monday sentenced the owner of a floating strip club in Kodiak to five years of probation for dumping human waste from his boat, then lying about it to U.S. Coast Guard investigators.

Darren Byler was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,125 for violating the Refuse Act, a federal provision formally called the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.

Byler and his wife, Kimberly Byler, started operating the bar and strip club called the Wild Alaskan on a 94-foot converted Bering Sea crabbing vessel in June 2014, but the business endeavor lasted only about five months after its liquor license was revoked.

[Offshore strip club in Alaska waters sees liquor license revoked]

Prior to the Wild Alaskan's opening and during its operation, Darren Byler told officials he used an 800-gallon bladder and hose to offload sewage from the boat to a disposal facility in Kodiak harbor, or he legally dumped more sewage at sea, 3 miles offshore, according to prosecutors' sentencing memo.

Investigators served a search warrant on the boat on Dec. 9, 2014, and seized the disposal equipment. They found the hose, bladder and some pumps showed no signs of use, prosecutors said.

A federal grand jury handed up charges against the Bylers in February 2015. A trial began in December of that year and lasted 10 days, ending in Darren Byler's conviction. Court records show Kimberly Byler was found not guilty of identical charges.

Witnesses testified Darren Byler had not dumped sewage at the disposal facility during the days he claimed; one witness said the vessel had no equipment to carry or pump sewage.

At sentencing, prosecutors argued for a prison sentence of 18 months. They said the punishment recognized Darren Byler's numerous confrontations with law enforcement.

[Owner of floating Kodiak strip club convicted of improperly dumping sewage]

"The defendant's conviction in this case is simply one chapter in a 30-year history of conflict between him and those in authority," the sentencing memo says.

In a prepared statement sent to Alaska Dispatch News, Darren Byler called the case a "political witch hunt" by Kodiak city officials and others.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Darren Byler was sentenced on Monday, not Tuesday as originally reported.