Palmer man arrested on DUI, refusal and 2021 warrant after Palmer-Wasilla Highway report

A Palmer man swerving across the Palmer-Wasilla Highway late Saturday night was arrested on a new drunken driving charge and a warrant dating to 2021, Alaska State Troopers said.

Troopers received a call at about 11:27pm Aug. 8,. The caller described a vehicle swerving across the roadway westbound from Trunk Road and nearly leaving it. Troopers found the vehicle and stopped it at a residence off Hyer Road.

The driver was a 49-year-old Palmer man, Troopers said he had been driving while intoxicated and refused a chemical breath test. Troopers obtained and executed a search warrant to seize his blood for testing.

Record checks turned up a warrant from 2021 for DUI and misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree. He was remanded to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility on charges of DUI, refusal, two counts of violating conditions of release, and the outstanding warrant.

Refusal carries consequences beyond the criminal case. The Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles says a driver arrested for DUI faces "criminal prosecution and administrative license action," and that refusing a breath, blood or urine test triggers revocation or disqualification.

The account comes solely from the trooper dispatch. Charges are accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.