Richardson Highway stop near Glennallen nets fentanyl charge, felon-with-firearm arrest

A late-night traffic stop near mile 114 of the Richardson Highway produced two criminal charges May 30: fentanyl possession and a convicted felon found with a concealable firearm.

Alaska State Troopers stopped the vehicle at 11:31 p.m. for moving violations. Further investigation turned up fentanyl on Alice Umetsu, who was charged with Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the fifth degree. John Brown, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a concealable firearm and charged with Misconduct Involving a Weapon in the third degree. B Detachment of the Alaska Department of Public Safety handled the stop. The detachment is the primary law enforcement presence across the Copper River Basin and surrounding road-system communities, where no municipal police departments exist.

Both cases remain pending. Umetsu and Brown are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.