From the blotter: Alcohol abuse may have caused serious injuries

MAT-SU — Two weekends in a row, Alaska State Troopers say alcohol has contributed to violent wrecks in the Valley.

According to a trooper press statement, at around 11:20 p.m. on Oct. 6 on West Beverly Lakes Road Sam L. Hatfield, 43, of Wasilla, was driving his ATV with his wife as a passenger. Hatfield tried to turn onto West Sourdough Drive and lost control. Neither Hatfield nor his wife was wearing a helmet and both were thrown from the ATV.

Troopers say Hatfield was flown to Providence Alaska Medical Center in critical condition with severe head trauma and his wife was hospitalized at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center with minor injuries.

On Saturday, at the Northshore Campground in Big Lake, Aaron Johnson, 31, of Anchorage, was in a vehicle that crashed into “several large boulders and came to rest after colliding with a dirt embankment.”

Like Hatfield, Johnson had severe head trauma and was flown to Providence in critical condition. He was later transferred to the Alaska Native Medical Center.

Troopers say alcohol appeared to play a role in both crashes. According to court records Monday afternoon, neither driver has been charged with a crime.

Trooper cruiser caught

in the middle

WASILLA — A trooper patrol car got sandwiched between two other cars at a traffic stop last week.

According to a trooper press statement, at 8:21 a.m. on Sept. 7, a trooper was working a traffic stop on Seldon Road near Eureka Road.

Troopers say the sun was in the eyes of Fred Pridgen, 64, of Wasilla, as he came up on the traffic stop driving a Toyota Sienna. Pridgen rear-ended the patrol car, pushing it into a Suburban driven by Nicole Cizek, 23, of Wasilla.

Neither Pridgen, Cizek, nor the trooper were hurt. The trooper wasn’t in his car at the time. Pridgen and Cizek were both wearing seatbelts. The Sienna and the patrol car were totaled. The Suburban sustained $2,000 damage.

Lodge owner fined

MAT-SU — Alaska State Troopers say a Washington man who owns two lodges on the Yentna River will have to pay $13,400 for buying in-state hunting and fishing licenses for which he did not qualify.

According to a trooper press statement, on Sept. 3 in an Anchorage courtroom, Jeffrey A. Woodward, 37, of Forks, Wash., pleaded guilty to one consolidated count of making a false statement on the licenses.

Troopers say Woodward owns the Cottonwood Creek Lodge and the Lake Creek Lodge on the Yentna River. They also say the count he pleaded guilty to consolidated seven counts of making false statements.

In addition to the fines and restitution payments, Woodward received a 10-day suspended prison sentence and had his Alaska fishing and hunting privileges revoked for two years. If he re-offends anytime between now and 2014 he may have to serve some of those 10 days in prison and could lose his privileges for another three years.