3rd DUI earns felony charge

WASILLA — Alaska State Troopers arrested a man for his third drunken driving charge this year.

According to an AST press statement, just before 1 a.m., Saturday, Jack A. Collins was spotted driving on Bogard Road near McKinley Drive.

According to court filings, troopers clocked the Ford sedan Collins was driving moving at 58 mph in a 50 mph zone.

“I activated my lights prior to the vehicle passing me. When I turned around and was approaching Collins’ vehicle, he signaled and turned from Bogard onto McKinley. I then observed as the vehicle traveled down McKinley at a high rate of speed,” Trooper Dan Sadloske wrote in his report.

When the trooper started catching up, the Ford stopped quickly and the driver hopped out.

Sadloske wrote that he called in the AST police dog Roelle, which followed footprints to find Collins a short distance away.

Collins’ passenger, Tyler A. Doyle, 23, of Wasilla, was not exactly forthcoming, according to Sadloske’s affidavit. He told troopers the driver was a man named Daniel Walsh. When troopers brought Collins to him after his capture, Doyle still played dumb.

“Doyle observed the person and stated it was not the driver of the vehicle. Doyle stated he did not know this individual,” Sadloske wrote.

The trooper said he told Doyle the footprints leading away from the vehicle matched the tread on Collins’ shoes.

“Doyle still maintained his name was Daniel,” Sadloske wrote.

Troopers searched the car and found court paperwork listing Doyle as third-party custodian for Jack Collins, meaning Doyle had been assigned to keep track of Collins while Collins was released from jail awaiting trial. Part of that duty usually includes making sure the person complies with court orders, makes his court hearings and doesn’t break the law.

Confronted with this, Doyle apparently came clean, Sadloske wrote.

“Doyle first stated that he did not want anyone to get in trouble as his reason for misleading and lying to troopers,” Sadloske wrote. “Doyle later stated that he was third-party custodian for Collins and was attempting to avoid getting in trouble for violating his custodial duties.”

According to Sadloske, Collins was arrested for drunken driving, eluding arrest, driving on a revoked license and violating the conditions of his release.

The charge he’d been released on bail for was drunken driving, a case filed in November when Collins was still 20 years old. In that case, he’s also charged with being a minor habitually in possession of alcohol.

Back in mid-February he was also charged with habitual minor in possession, drunken driving and being a minor who was driving after drinking. Court records show that he pleaded guilty to the drunken driving charge in exchange for the other two being dropped. In light of the new charges, prosecutors have re-opened that case. Since this is his third drunken driving charge, Collins was hit with a felony count rather than a misdemeanor.

Troopers say they also arrested Doyle, charging him with making a false report, hindering prosecution and violating his custodial duties. His bail was set at $1,000.

As of Monday afternoon, Collins was still at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility but Doyle had bailed out.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.