KTNA Talkeetna, Alaska » prison

Forestry vandal sentenced to 12 years

Sue Deyoe — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 22:31:29 +0000

Stephen Foster, the man charged with vandalizing Alaska Division of Forestry property last summer, will spend 12 years in prison.

Foster received the sentence on Friday and asked for forgiveness from the fire crews.

The vandalism occurred last summer while crews were busy fighting fires near Fairbanks. The forestry building in Palmer was broken into. Passports, I-pods, computers and other items were taken. Foster took clothing from lockers and urinated on the items. At the sentencing Foster denied he had done such an act and said it was water from an Igloo cooler that had tipped over onto the clothing.

Foster also stole 5 vehicles from the forestry lot, returning multiple times. Some of those vehicles were recovered on the Kenai Peninsula.

The list of charges was lengthy and ranged from criminal mischief to vehicle theft to violation of probation.

Judge Eric Smith imposed a 20-year sentence on Foster, who has a long history of drug addiction and criminal behavior. He received 8 years of suspension and will serve 12 ye

Butts, Martin and Wilson sentenced

Sue Deyoe — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:56:26 +0000

The individuals accused in the case surrounding a Talkeetna robbery and many area burglaries in 2007 were sentenced last week. The case has had numerous delays due to its complexity and amount of evidence.

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Prison construction to start this spring

Sue Deyoe — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:45:03 +0000

Governor Sarah Palin was present at the official signing ceremony on Tuesday for the Goose Creek Correctional Facility. The correctional facility is called the largest new-building construction project in Alaska’s history.

The 450 thousand square foot building will sit on 330 acres near Port MacKenzie in the Mat Su Borough.

Borough Manager John Duffy estimates that the project will create about 600 construction jobs, as well as over 350 permanent prison jobs when the job is complete.

Corrections Commissioner, Joe Schmidt, spoke at the ceremony and estimates that Alaska’s current correctional system moves 38-thousand prisoners in and out of state each year. He said the prison will support the concepts of public protection, recidivism reduction and reintegration.

Construction is due to begin this spring. Neeser Construction is the selected contractor for the project.