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 at 3:08 a.m., according to the D Detachment dispatch log. The ATV fled and crashed near Industrial Drive.

The driver, Parker Wayne Ray-Kestner, was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and also charged with failure to stop. His passenger, Owen Glen Patrick Ray, was cited for minor consuming alcohol and later arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct. Troopers said the charges are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent.

State regulation 13 AAC 02.455 bars ATVs from highways and public rights-of-way. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, in a July 1 proclamation naming ATV safety awareness month, said Alaska has one of the nation's highest rates of traumatic brain injuries and deaths tied to off-highway vehicles.