Defendant flees guilty verdict

June 11. 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

PALMER - A young woman on trial for running from police and kicking an officer in the groin in December bolted from a court room when she heard the jury's verdict Friday.

Stephanie M. Foltz, 23, was found guilty of resisting arrest and fourth-degree assault by a jury in Palmer District Court after a three-day trial.

The jury returned with a verdict after about a half hour of deliberation, according to Mike Perry, assistant district attorney.

&#8220When she heard that, she jumped up and ran out of the courtroom,” Perry said. &#8220She came back later, after we had gone off record.”

Pierre Burkett, a judicial services officer, recognized Foltz when he saw her in the Wasilla Fred Meyer about 7 p.m. on Dec. 1. Burkett knew Foltz had outstanding warrants, went up to the truck where Foltz was a passenger and asked her name, and said she may have some outstanding warrants.

&#8220First, she said it was her brother who had the warrants,” Burkett testified. &#8220Then she pleaded for me to not arrest her tonight, to not take her to jail.”

When Wasilla Sgt. Ray Chmielowski pulled his cruiser up, Foltz ran from Fred Meyer over toward the Pet Zoo, about 100 to 150 yards, before Burkett tackled her and Chmielowski pulled up in his cruiser, Burkett said.

When she was handcuffed, Foltz started kicking.

&#8220I thought she was going to run,” Burkett said.

&#8220She turned towards me and she saw me coming and she side-kicked me.”

Foltz's kick connected with Burkett's groin, an injury he described as one that hurt for three days.

Craig Condie, Foltz's appointed counsel, said that Foltz taking off and running wasn't the smartest thing, but under Alaska law, that isn't resisting arrest.

&#8220She didn't dictate he come after her and tackle her in that manner,” Condie said. &#8220It was chaos for those few seconds. Did she really look at him?”

Perry saw things differently.

&#8220What's a cop going to do when you run in front of him?” Perry said. &#8220He's going to chase you. They are like dogs like that.”

Two officers from two different agencies knew Foltz by sight, Perry said.

They knew Foltz had a no-bail warrant for failing to turn herself in to serve a sentence in Palmer, and a $750 warrant from Anchorage, he said.

Foltz's court records show a dozen criminal cases in Palmer and Anchorage, beginning in 2002.

Foltz has multiple charges of driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license, violating conditions of release, harassment, fourth-degree criminal mischief, concealing merchandise and improper use of plates.

Foltz also has a dozen motor vehicle citations, including negligent driving, speeding, expired registration and not carrying proof of insurance.

After the trial, Perry commented about the amount of energy some people put into a life of crime.

&#8220A lot of these people who are involved in crime are not the smartest,” Perry said.

&#8220But some of them, if they put their efforts into legitimate businesses, would be CEOs of mid-level corporations by the time they're 30.”

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com