Troopers say ATV fled Fairbanks traffic stop, crashed near airport

A Fairbanks-area ATV crashed behind Fairbanks International Airport early Saturday after fleeing a trooper traffic stop, Alaska State Troopers said. Both riders were taken to the Fairbanks Correctional Center.

Troopers stopped the ATV at University Drive and Airport Way before dawn, they said. The ATV took off and crashed near Industrial Drive. The driver, Parker Wayne Ray-Kestner, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and failure to stop. His passenger, Owen Glen Patrick Ray, was cited for minor consuming alcohol and later arrested on a disorderly conduct charge. Troopers said the charges are accusations, and both are presumed innocent.

ATVs are not allowed on Alaska highways and public rights-of-way. In a proclamation this summer naming an ATV safety awareness month, Gov. Mike Dunleavy noted that Alaska has one of the nation's highest rates of traumatic brain injuries and deaths tied to off-highway vehicles.