Big Lake man arraigned on murder charges

PALMER — Big Lake resident Adam Drew, 24, was arraigned for murder charges on May 8 at the Palmer Courthouse.

Drew is facing six charges including murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, and kidnapping related to the disappearance of Dolly Hampton, whose remains were discovered in remote location in Big Lake on April 3, according to the Alaska State Troopers.

Drew was indicted by the Palmer Grand Jury on May 5, alleging that he kidnapped and killed Hampton last year, according to AST dispatch records. AST began investigating December 6, 2018, after Hampton’s family reported her missing.

On April 3, Hampton’s body was discovered in a remote area in Big Lake but exposure to the elements made identification difficult and the remains were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office, according to AST dispatch records. Hampton’s remains were eventually identified and on April 10, Drew has since been charged with her kidnapping and murder.

Drew entered a non-guilty plea. No bail had been set and District Attorney Roman Kalytiak argued that bail should remain unset due to matters of public safety.

“The reason I’m saying that is because I think I can prove by clear and convincing evidence under the statute that the public can’t be protected from this particular defendant,” Kalytiak said.

Kalytiak stated that he had a number of items to address, including the facts of this case, Drew’s criminal background, and Drew’s “other case.” Right as Kalytiak said, “first of all,” Public Defender Patton Greer interjected and asked to approach the bench. Judge, Jonathan Woodman approved and the three talked at the bench for six minutes before getting back on the record.

Back on the record, Woodman stated that bail will remain as “no bail” and will be addressed at a later date, then the court adjourned.

Drew’s case was assigned to Palmer Judge Kari Kristiansen. His pretrial conference is set for June 28 at 8:30 a.m. and his scheduled trial week is set to begin July 15 at 8:30 a.m.

Drew has been incarcerated since Jan. 3 due to separate and unrelated charges, according to AST dispatch records. He currently has two separate, reopened cases with numerous charges including armed robbery, assault, burglary, and kidnapping, according to online court records.

Troopers connected Drew to a burglary on New Year’s Eve 2018, where he allegedly was confronted by the victims and assaulted them, fleeing out of a second story window. He violated his probation for a 2015 burglary on Jan. 3 and was arrested, according to AST dispatch records.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com.