Following Ken VanSpronsen’s recent move from wildlife trooper to Haines Borough police officer, another Haines man has come forward alleging VanSpronsen leveled unfounded charges against him.
VanSpronsen initially referred 27 charges to the district attorney against lodge owner Byron Rettinger, six of which were filed on March 7, 2014. All six charges were for unsworn falsification, alleging residency violations in which Rettinger claimed Alaska residency on hunting tags while receiving a resident’s property tax exemption in Michigan.
The state dismissed all the charges against Rettinger in March.
Rettinger’s case was similar to that of Lutak Road resident Jim Puckett, who also claimed VanSpronsen filed unfounded residency violation charges against him.
VanSpronsen brought 28 charges against Puckett in March 2013, claiming Puckett falsified his residency to obtain Alaska hunting and fishing privileges while also receiving tax exemptions on Indiana property.
As it did with Rettinger, the state dismissed all of the charges against Puckett.
Like Puckett, who said he spent more than $12,000 in legal fees on his case, Rettinger said he spent more than $8,000 clearing his name. While troopers or police can bring charges and have the state bear the financial costs of a court case, individuals have to pay out-of-pocket, Rettinger said.
Part of that $8,000 Rettinger spent went toward hiring help in Michigan to prove he didn’t receive a tax exemption as a result of claiming residency in the state. Indeed, Jeff MacKenzie, supervisor and assessor for Woodland Township, confirmed the property did not receive a principal residence exemption.
(The property is a farm, and did qualify for an agricultural exemption, which is not based on residency, MacKenzie said.)
“(VanSpronsen) is using his position of authority to abuse me, cost me money, pain and suffering. He never had to prove his accusations were true – I was the one that had to provide proof of my innocence,” Rettinger wrote in a June 15 letter to multiple state officials, including Gov. Bill Walker, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, Congressman Don Young, Sen. Dan Sullivan, state Sen. Dennis Egan and state Rep. Sam Kito.
In the letter, Rettinger outlined how the district attorney in Juneau forwarded the case to the Anchorage office because of the Juneau DA’s familiarity with Rettinger’s son, Jason Rettinger, then a police officer in Haines.
Byron Rettinger also questioned why VanSpronsen did not have another trooper conduct the residency investigation, as VanSpronsen had purchased Rettinger’s home, and that relationship constituted a conflict of interest, he said.
According to court records, the state Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals took over the case. Assistant Attorney General Lisa Kelley took the lead, and after a year of jockeying, Kelley said she would dismiss the charges.
In an interview Tuesday, Kelley wouldn’t say why she decided to dismiss the charges. “I can’t get into the decision-making reasons for dismissing a case,” Kelley said.
The one condition of the dismissal, which is not included in the official court judgment, was that Rettinger verbally agree on the record to not apply for a resident hunting or fishing license in Alaska unless he can prove he has been physically in the state for 12 consecutive months prior to the application.
Kelley wouldn’t comment on whether this sort of “deal” is standard procedure in residency cases like Rettinger’s.
Rettinger said he “felt pressured” to accept the offer, though he now regrets doing so. “This offer created concern and anxiety for me, but my attorney stated that this was a good deal as you never know how a jury will respond during a trial,” he said.
Rettinger’s attorney, Julie Willoughby, did not return a call for comment.
Trooper officials and interim police chief Robert Griffiths have declined to comment on the circumstances of VanSpronsen’s departure from the troopers. Troopers also would not comment on whether VanSpronsen was facing an internal investigation or other disciplinary action, citing personnel confidentiality.
Both Rettinger and Puckett have said they believe charges against them stemmed from separate dealings they had with VanSpronsen over real estate, but neither can provide evidence establishing such a link.
VanSpronsen bought a Beach Road house from Rettinger in August 2012. Rettinger speculated VanSpronsen was likely feeling “buyer’s remorse” for buying property, as he put the house up for sale about a year after buying it, Rettinger said.
But real estate broker Pam Long, whose company is listing the house, said this week that the VanSpronsens have never expressed displeasure with the house. “They loved the view. They loved the house. They made some changes and improvements to it to suit their family” including renovating the downstairs and an upstairs kitchen.
Long wouldn’t disclose the reasons the VanSpronsens are selling the house, but said it didn’t have anything to do with VanSpronsen’s job or the quality of the house. “Nothing they told me has any contentious aspect to it at all.”
Also, Long said her company started listing the property in June and she’s not aware the home was for sale previously.
Rettinger built the home in the late 1990s. Dan Harrington said he helped frame up the home, but that Rettinger put in the plumbing, sheetrock and wiring. Rettinger said that previous to the sale, he advised VanSpronsen to get an inspection of the house, but VanSpronsen declined, saying he had experience as an inspector.
“I truly believe that I am being targeted by trooper Ken VanSpronsen who is abusing his authority to seek revenge,” Rettinger said this week.
Last August, Puckett said VanSpronsen “went after him” after negotiations between the two men over the sale of Puckett’s Lutak Road house to VanSpronsen fell through in April 2012.
Puckett last year said he based his belief that the two matters were linked on VanSpronsen’s unfriendly demeanor when he went to speak to the trooper about the charges.
VanSpronsen last week filed a notice of trespass against Chilkat Valley News editor Tom Morphet, who has twice visited VanSponsen’s home in the past year seeking comment on allegations made by Puckett and Rettinger.
VanSpronsen this week declined to comment on the Rettinger case via phone. “You better tread very carefully in what you print in the paper, based on the advice of my lawyer,” he said.