Speeding stop in Wasilla leads to felony DUI and gun charges, troopers say

Alaska State Troopers arrested a man in Wasilla on Wednesday, Nov. 11, on a felony DUI charge and three weapons charges after they saw him speeding on Knik-Goose Bay Road.

Troopers said the man was driving under the influence of alcohol, with a revoked license and no proof of insurance, and had a pistol and two rifles in the vehicle, according to the trooper dispatch.

His record is what made the charges felonies. He had two DUI convictions from 2020, and in Alaska a DUI becomes a felony when the driver has two or more convictions in the previous 10 years. He is also a convicted felon still within the period when state law bars him from having a gun that can be concealed, troopers said.

That felon gun ban isn't always permanent. For felonies that weren't crimes against a person, it lifts 10 years after the full sentence, including probation and parole, ends.

He was arrested on one felony count of DUI, one felony count of third-degree weapons misconduct and two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree weapons misconduct, and taken to Mat-Su Pretrial. Troopers didn't say where he lives.

Charges are accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, according to the Department of Public Safety.