The Borough Attorney says the action came about because of citizen complaints.  Complaints on the two separate festivals started in 2006.

In the fall of 2010, up to fifteen hundred people attended the festival.  The Borough requires a large-event permit when more than 500 people attend an outside event.

The festivals have had problems in the past. In 2009, Trapper Creek resident Rodney Humphrey was accused of trying to kill a man from Texas when he ran over him with his pickup truck at the festival. The man was taken to the hospital with severe injuries. The attempted murder charge ended in a mistrial last year. The jury DID agree on a driving without a license charge as well as leaving the scene of an accident.  Humphrey has since struck a plea deal for the attempted murder charge.  Sentencing is scheduled for the end of June.

This year the events are advertised for May 27 through the 29^th and August 19^th to 21^st on Boot Rosseau’s private property. Neither festival has a permit yet.  The festival promotion site says they are only selling 500 tickets.  The injunction says if attendance at the festival surpasses 500 people this year, the Borough could ask State Troopers to direct people away from the event or assist with enforcing the court order.

Superior Court Judge Kari Kristianson granted the preliminary injunction for the Mat su Borough.

Last year, in April, a  30 year old man from Wasilla vanished in the Talkeetna area without a trace.  The case remains a mystery to those involved with the search.

“Chucky” Palmer, age 30

Charles Palmer, age 30, from Wasilla had been snowmaching during the day with friends and family to the west of Mastadon Road near Bald Mountain, last year on April 10^th. The group was headed back to a cabin for the night when Palmer got lost from the group.

Later it was discovered that Palmer had snowmachined off the well-defined trail and would have waded into waist deep snow had he gone off the side snowmachine trail he had chosen.  Friends were the first to find the snowmachine. There was about a 12 hour delay in calling troopers.  When the troopers arrived they found no trace of footprints anywhere on the trail, but did find the snowmachine stuck in the snow.

A large search party of fire and  rescue volunteers and troopers searched for several days… Looking back at reports, Snow and high winds hampered search efforts and put searchers into survival mode themselves. The search was called off after 5 days.

Dan Valentine is the wildlife trooper in the area and said that a massive search ensued last May for Palmer.  Over 40 searchers with Alaska Mountain Rescue as well as search and rescue dogs were flown in by helicopter to the area and spread out 100 feet off the trail.

Valentine said they flew over the area well into June looking for some sign of a body.  He says the searchers never found one clue – not a glove, a boot or a footprint.  They didn’t see signs of birds or other animal tracks.

Fire Chief Ken Farina was also involved with the initial 4 day search.  He says he is sticking to his original alien abduction theory because he cannot come up with another explanation.

In one of the strangest twists, Chuck was the second son that Lisa Rearick and Charles Palmer lost to mysterious circumstances.  Their son,  Michael, went missing at age 15 in Wasilla, in 1999, after a party and has never been found.  There are still missing person’s websites that have his photo posted, as there was never closure in that case.

Rearick’s third son was with Chuck that fatal day in April, but had left the group earlier to take care of a broken snowmachine.

On April 12, 2011, there was a presumptive death hearing and the courts declared Palmer deceased, due to exposure.

Rearick’s daughter, Hannah, was asked if her mother would talk about the incident, but the call has not been returned. Hannah said the event was still just too painful to talk about.  Palmer left behind his 3 daughters and custody hearings are still ongoing for Rearick to take charge of her granddaughters. The next hearing is in June.

Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Beth Ipsen says still consider the event a missing persons.

According to Fire Chief Ken Farina, the southbound car struck the guard rail at the bottom of the hill at Answer Creek and traveled part way up the hill before coming to a stop.

The driver, William Helser the 3^rd, age 30, was not injured. He was the only one in the car at the time. He was arrested on a driving under the influence charge..

Traffic was slowed slightly due to emergency vehicles.  Farina said their main role in the accident was traffic control to get motorists safely past the accident.

Troopers responding to the accident report that a vehicle, operated by Joseph E. Carroll, 31 of Wasilla, was traveling southbound on the Parks Highway when it left the roadway and rolled multiple times, ejecting Carroll.  Citizens driving by soon after the crash attempted CPR, but Carroll was declared dead at the scene.

Carroll was the only occupant of the vehicle and was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Troopers say excessive speed and alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. Talkeetna Rescue personnel say Carroll’s excessive weight may have contributed to the trauma he received in the crash.

A mystery enshrouds the accident, according to responders on the scene.  Carroll’s car was full of belongings.  His wallet held a several driver’s licenses. The district attorney’s office in Palmer confirms that Carroll had been arraigned in Palmer Court Wednesday morning for a DUI charge from early April, with a court date set for early June. $500 bail had been posted. He has past driving infractions and DUI’s on his record.  There is no listing for the man in the Wasilla phone book.

Next of kin have been notified.  The Trooper investigation into the accident continues.

The start date for the trial of Samuel E Clark of Talkeetna has been  delayed until June.  Clark is accused of killing Dirk Fast, also of Talkeetna, on October 30 of last year.  He is still incarcerated at Mat Su Pre trial and is being held on half a million dollars bail with a third party custodian requirement.

The trial is now scheduled for June 13^th in Palmer Superior Court.  The judge assigned to the case is Eric Smith.

Nelson has been charged with first degree murder and assault with a weapon.  He is accused of killing Robert Carey of Trapper Creek and shooting Robert’s wife Verna.  The event occurred in late January.  Nelson was supposedly new to the Trapper Creek area and the Carey’s were not acquainted with the accused.  According to the prosecutor in the case, the attack was unprovoked.  Nelson pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Nelson is being held on 750 thousand dollars cash bail with a third party custodian requirement.  He is still incarcerated at Mat-su Pretrial.

The trial is currently scheduled for June 6^th with a pre trial conference on May 27^th.

71 year old Jim Wilde, his wife and a friend, were power-boating up the Yukon River from Circle last September on a moose hunting trip.  They were approached by National Park Service rangers in another boat.  The rangers said they wanted to conduct a routine boat safety check.

Rangers testified Wilde took off upriver, swerving toward the park service boat when they pursued him, and only headed for shore when rangers pointed a shotgun at him.  Wilde claims he was concerned about grounding his heavily loaded boat.  The encounter ended with a scuffle on the river bank.  Rangers say Wilde looked like he was ready to fight.  Wilde says he was threatened with a tazer.  Wilde ended up handcuffed and an arrest made.

The state has intervened in the case.  They say the state owns the land underlying the river and contests the feds don’t have the authority to perform law enforcement on the river.  The defense asked for the case to be dismissed, but a federal magistrate denied it, ruling the park service has authority on waters INSIDE conservation units.  Wilde’s attorney says they will appeal if his client is found guilty.

The judge is scheduled to issue a decision by Mid May.

Alaska State Troopers received a call at 11 pm from a family member of Cardwell saying that a shot had been fired.  Troopers responded to the scene.  Several shots were fired from the residence.  One bullet broke a window out of a patrol vehicle.

The Willow and Talkeetna Fire Services and Willow EMS were called to the scene as well as special negotiators.  Negotiations with Cardwell lasted throughout the night.  Troopers report that Cardwell was alone throughout the incident.

Talkeetna Fire Chief Ken Farina was on the scene most of the night.  Farina says that fire personnel are required to be on the scene when tear gas is used.

At approximately 9 o’clock this morning troopers got Cardwell to come out of the residence.  According to Farina, tear gas was used on the residence.

Willow EMS examined Cardwell to ensure she had no injuries.  She was taken into custody and faces two counts of assault in the second degree.

Alaska Bureau of Investigations is handling the continuing investigation.

He is accused of killing Talkeetna resident Dirk Fast on October 29^th last year in an incident near downtown Talkeetna.  Clark is still incarcerated at the Mat-su PreTrial facility.  He is being held on $500,000 bail with a third party custodian requirement.

Troopers say they had been investigating the location of Nathan Dalton, 35, from Indiana and Katherine Cook, 25 also of Indiana, for several months after receiving information that Dalton had a warrant from Indiana for murder and failure to appear in court.(*** this is incorrect – the warrant was for probation violation – read further for the correction)

Troopers and the task force responded to the area on snowmachine and arrested Dalton. Cook was also arrested for hindering prosecution, due to her knowledge that Dalton had an arrest warrant and aided him to avoid prosecution.  Marijuana plants were also located at the cabin and investigation is continuing into a possible charge of misconduct involving controlled substance.

Dalton was arrested for murder in 2004 stemming from an incident with a girlfriend. Dalton, at that time, fled to Alaska and was then extradited.  Prosecutors tried to prove through the autopsy that Dalton had murdered his girlfriend by suffocating her.   He faced the court in Indiana, and the charge was reduced to ‘criminal recklessness leading to death’. Prosecutor Kent Apsley, of Shelby County, Indiana says Dalton served approximately 4 years in prison and Apsley says the current warrant is actually for a violation of probation.  Dalton’s probation officer had recommended that Dalton have his probation revoked, at which time Dalton fled to Talkeetna.

Dalton is known around Talkeetna as “Tattoo Nate” and it is believed that he has been in the area for about 2 years.

According to troopers, Dalton is in now in custody at an Alaska correctional facility until he is flown back to Indiana.

copy of court proceedings in Indiana

On October 31 of last year, Myers was arrested by Alaska State Troopers after a 911 call was received.  He was accused of verbally and physically assaulting his girlfriend at the time as well as damaging property.

According to troopers, Talkeetna Emergency Services was on the scene first and found a vehicle parked along the Talkeetna Spur Road with Myers passed out inside the vehicle.  The woman had escaped and run to take shelter at a friend’s house.  Troopers say they found Myers passed out in the vehicle and also in possession of marijuana.  He refused to take a breathalizer test. Troopers say he caused approximately $450 dollars worth of damage to the vehicle, as he kicked in a window and mirrors after assaulting his girlfriend.    Troopers said the girlfriend was taken to Mat Su Regional Hospital with injuries.

Myers has been in jail in Palmer since his arrest in October.  According to the court documents, he will receive one year in prison with one year suspended sentence and 3 months for first offense.  The sentence also includes 4 years probation, along with anger management classes.  As part of a civil case there is also a protective order.  **Myers also receives a $20,000 fine.

KTNA hopes to continue coverage of domestic violence cases with a follow up to this story in the near future.

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There, Stockdale said, the dogs will have the chance to become further socialized. Stockdale said some dogs have recovered very well and are very friendly and loving towards people, but some are still very scared and skittish, requiring more one-on-one time with people. The work with inmates at the work farm would help the chances for the dogs to become adoptable and it helps the shelter to alleviate the still crowded situation at the animal care facility, said Stockdale.

In a forfeiture hearing last week, the court declared that the dogs no longer belong to Rich and are now property of the Mat-Su Borough. Prior to that, the animals were considered evidence.

Frank Rich was arrested by troopers on January 11 when troopers and Mat-Su animal control executed a search warrant to find 19 dead dogs and 157 severely dehydrated and starving dogs at Rich’s dog yard at his property near Montana Creek.

Rich was taken into custody, arraigned and charged with 50 counts of animal cruelty. Rich posted a bail bond for 2,500 dollars and has been released from the Mat-Su Pretrial facility on January 13. Rich’s trial is set for March 10.

Troopers reported that Cook was intoxicated and had a revoked operator’s license as well.  Cook was arrested and transported to the Mat-Su Pretrial facility where she is held on $5000 bail. The damage to the espresso stand is estimated to be $500. According to court documents, Cook was arraigned Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Download audio file (20110203-911investigation.mp3)

Download audio file (AMNews-20110204.mp3)

Dirk Fast was pronounced dead at the scene.

Clark, 40, is charged with murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree and one count of manslaughter.

The trial date has been moved several times to later dates.

Download audio file (20110125-tcmurderfamily.mp3)

A donation account has been set up to help the family with medical and burial costs. The account is with Alaska USA, account #: 1579570

To donate building materials contact 354-8920.

Bail was set at $750,000 and a court-approved third party custodian. According to jail officials, Nelson has not posted bail and is still at the Mat-Su Pre-trial facility.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigations has taken over the case immediately after the shooting. Troopers responded to a call placed by Verna Carey, 58 after Nelson gunned down her husband Bob, 66, in front of their house at Wolf Trail and shot her in the arm. Nelson was arrested after a six-hour manhunt by a special trooper response team.

The damage to both vehicles was more than  $3,000.

Download audio file (AMNews-20110125.mp3)

While circumstances are still under investigation, troopers said that Trapper Creek resident Jeremy Nelson shot and killed sixty-six year old Robert Carey in front of his house. Nelson also shot at Carey’s wife Verna and wounded her.

Verna Carey managed to call the Alaska State Troopers. They found Robert Carey dead in his driveway in front of his house and took his injured wife from the residence to an ambulance. She was transported to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Troopers responded with a Special Emergency Reaction Team and Helo One. After more than six hours they managed to arrest the suspect not far from the shooting scene. At 4:50 a.m. Nelson was taken into custody. He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and first degree assault. He was taken to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility and is held without bail. Nelson’s arraignment is set for Monday, January 24th at 1p.m. in Palmer court.

Frank Rich was arrested by troopers on January 11 when troopers and Mat-Su animal control executed a search warrant to find 19 dead dogs and 157 severely dehydrated and starving dogs at Rich’s dog yard.

Rich was taken into custody, arraigned and charged with 50 counts of animal cruelty. He posted a bail bond for $2,500  and has been released from the Mat-Su Pretrial facility on January 13.

Meanwhile, the 157 surviving dogs that were rescued by the Mat-Su animal shelter are being nursed back to health. Mat-Su Borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan said that there are even more dogs. One female husky gave birth to six puppies as she was in the truck being taken to the animal care facility in Palmer the night of the rescue.

There were also still four loose dogs at Rich’s dog yard that since have been caught and taken to the shelter.

Donations to the shelter keep on coming in and are still needed, Sullivan said. The Alaska Job Corps has built 72 dog houses for the animals. While blankets, dog houses or building materials are no longer needed, the animal shelter now needs storage organizers, dog nail clippers, canned dog food of the Science Diet brand, Oster grooming razors and clipper blades.