Jonathon Edward Richardson, 54, was fined $1,000, $500 suspended, and placed on one year’s probation Dec. 14 after pleading no contest to charges he illegally cut down trees in Chilkat State Park. A park ranger discovered Richardson’s unauthorized trail, which stretched about 1,600 feet, on Nov. 20. Richardson said he thought he was “fixing things” by cutting down 20 trees to create a new route around muddy trail sections. A vandalism charge was dismissed.
Teresa M. Jeans, 21, was fined $1,500 and ordered to serve 30 days in jail, 27 suspended, after pleading guilty Jan. 3 to refusing to submit to a chemical test July 24. Jeans also was placed on one year’s probation and her driver’s license was revoked for 90 days. She served her time with an electronic monitor. A charge of driving under the influence was dismissed.
Stuart DeWitt, 37, was fined a total of $7,000, $13,000 suspended, on Nov. 2 after pleading guilty to game-guiding charges stemming from separate incidents in 2011. He also was ordered to forfeit a six-wheeler and wolverine hides. According to court documents, on May 25, 2011, while DeWitt was working as a guide for three Canadian hunters, the hunters took three goats while possessing permits only for two, then falsified records. The group also took antlers, but left rib meat behind, in prohibition of state law. DeWitt testified previously in federal court that he had broken his ankle on the way down the mountain and the other men helped him down, leaving the meat behind.
In an Oct. 12, 2011 incident, court records say DeWitt was guiding a Canadian hunter who killed a black bear at a bait site, though the hunter had no hunting license, big-game tag or harvest ticket. According to court documents, DeWitt and a third man lied, saying the third man shot the bear. The bear was taken from the bait site on a Polaris six-wheeler.
The 2011 charges stemmed from a lengthy U.S. and Canadian investigation in which other local guides or assistants were charged with crimes.
Gabriel A. Alamillo, 35, was sentenced on Jan. 24 to 30 months in jail, 14 suspended, and minus time served, after pleading guilty to charges of third-degree assault. The charges stemmed from an incident on June 25, 2015. According to court documents, a woman called police at 1 a.m. to report an assault at her house on Allen Road. The woman told police the man climbed on top of her and choked her with one hand while holding a kitchen knife in the other. He then threatened two children with the knife.
Clayton Conner, 36, of Canada, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 days in jail, all suspended, and placed on one year’s probation after pleading guilty to reckless driving on June 19. His driver’s license was revoked 30 days and he was ordered to pay restitution for backing into a resident’s vehicle in the harbor parking lot and driving away. A charge of leaving the scene of an accident was dismissed. Conner also was ordered to pay a $50 surcharge and perform 24 hours of community service. Conner blew .117 on a breathalyzer and originally was charged with driving under the influence. At sentencing, the district attorney said the charge was reduced due to “evidentiary issues.”