In June 2012, Haines Borough Assembly member Debra Schnabel asked Mayor Stephanie Scott for a report on manager Mark Earnest’s accrued and used leave. Schnabel was concerned about Earnest’s frequent absences. Schnabel learned Earnest hadn’t come close to depleting the paid time off his contract allows. According to his $108,000 annual contract, Earnest may take 48 paid days off per year, not […]
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Borough evicts man at harbor
A local man has been banned from Haines Borough ports and harbors indefinitely after allegedly threatening the harbormaster. Harbormaster Phil Benner said he called police Jan. 17 after Corey Tatham, a Haines fisherman, threatened to “kick his ass” after Benner informed Tatham that living on his boat during winter was prohibited. The Haines Borough Assembly passed an ordinance last […]
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Dog kill brings tips
Haines Police have received “literally hundreds” of tips, hints and rumors on who may be responsible for last week’s killing of a dog and wounding of another. Police Chief Gary Lowe said the department is focusing on several persons of interest, but none rise to the level of “suspect” yet. Officer Adam Patterson, the investigator on the […]
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Two dogs hit by arrows on hillside
A pet dog died and another was sent to Juneau for treatment after they were hit by arrows early this week in the same Mount Ripinsky hillside neighborhood where three dogs disappeared last fall. Maple, a 1-year-old black lab and rat terrier mix, came yelping back to her West Mathias Avenue home at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Police chief lagged on wire fraud case
In 2012, others and myself witnessed felony wire fraud in Haines. On July 12, 2012, evidence of felony wire fraud (over 100 pages) was submitted to the Haines Police Department. On Aug. 9, 2012, I called HPD and was informed the evidence had not been sent to the district attorney in Juneau. On Sept. 26, 2012, I […]
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Former Haines cop surrenders license
Neither a statewide police oversight agency nor the Haines Borough Police Department will provide information about complaints that led to the decertification of former Haines Police Sgt. Jason Joel last week. The Alaska Police Standards Council formally accepted forfeiture of Joel’s police certificate Dec. 4, an action that disqualifies Joel from working as a police or corrections officer in […]
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Broken siren slows firefighter response
A breakdown of the town siren Oct. 14 and the simultaneous loss of a broadcast, tonal pulse – called a “tone-out” – have cost some firefighters time responding to calls. Emergency responders have been listening more closely to radio and pagers since the malfunction, but the problem grew more serious last weekend when the ambulance […]
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DUIs reduced after illegal blood tests: No breathalyzer for 5 months
The Haines Police Department’s illegal acquisition of blood samples in several DUI cases led to reduced charges for defendants in recent months. From May until mid-September, police were without a working DataMaster, a machine that tests alcohol content in a person’s breath. In lieu of breath testing, officers began using blood testing to assess alcohol levels during […]
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Mayor digs into harbor assault case
A mayor’s report found differing explanations for why a charge was reduced by plea bargain in a case involving an alleged assault on the Haines harbormaster. According to a report presented by Haines Borough Mayor Stephanie Scott at Tuesday’s assembly meeting, Assistant District Attorney Amy Williams said she would have preferred to take the case to trial, but could […]
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Man accepts blame for shooting
A Haines man who shot another man during an early-morning party Sept. 28 this week said he felt “horrible” about it. Frank Hickman Jr., 24, corroborated an account by police, who described the shooting as accidental. “It wasn’t alcohol’s fault and it wasn’t the gun’s fault. It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have had […]