FROM THE BLOTTER: Felony charges dropped against snowmachiner

PALMER — A Houston man who faced somewhat hefty felony charges stemming from an incident wherein a woman twice jumped from his snowmachine near the Parks Highway has seen the two most serious charges against him dropped.

Joseph Stanistreet, 46, was initially charged with assault, coercion, drunken driving, reckless endangerment and marijuana possession, according to an Alaska State Trooper press statement. He was arrested Jan. 3 on the side of the highway near its intersection with Cheri Lakes Drive. The assault and coercion charges stemmed from trooper allegations he forced the woman jumping from his snowmachine back onto it by threatening her with a weapon.

According to court records, both of Stanistreet’s felony counts — the assault and coercion charges — have since been dropped. Stanistreet, records show, still faces the drunken driving, reckless endangerment and marijuana possession charges. He has also bailed out of jail.

Big dope bust by troopers

MEADOW LAKES — Troopers serving a warrant wound up with $40,000 worth of marijuana, according to a report issued Tuesday.

The press release says drug investigators and Talkeetna-based troopers served the warrant at a home near Mile 50 of the Parks Highway. They came away with 218 plants, 82 un-rooted starter plants, grow equipment and processed marijuana.

“Dry weight of the marijuana was approximately 9.8 pounds, with an estimated wholesale value of $40,000,” troopers report.

The press release says charges are pending against the owner of the home.

Truck heist goes bad

WASILLA — Police say that whoever tried to steal a dump truck last week apparently didn’t get very far.

According to a Wasilla Police Department press statement, on Jan. 8 officers were sent to a business on Glenkerry Drive and Lucus Road for the report of the attempted theft of a dump truck.

The press release says that whoever tried to take the truck ran it into a parked utility truck and fled.

Business suffers

another theft of fuel

WASILLA — In what is apparently an ongoing problem for the business, a second report in two months has come in of fuel being stolen from a local aviation outfit.

According to a Wasilla Police Department press release, at 10:42 a.m. Saturday they got a report of fuel being stolen from Grasshopper Aviation’s fuel storage facility at the Wasilla Airport.

The caller “reported the problem has been ongoing for the past six months,” police say.

The first report of fuel missing from the facility came on Nov. 6 when officers were called to the facility and told that 600 gallons of fuel and a 100-gallon tank with hoses and a pump had gone missing.

Man wounded

by pistol in jacket

WASILLA — A 34-year-old man apparently shot himself in the hand Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers report.

According to troopers, Patrick Holsclaw of Wasilla showed up at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his hand.

Troopers say that although Holsclaw wasn’t holding the pistol when he was shot, the wound was self-inflicted because Holsclaw “had a pistol in a jacket pocket (and) when the jacket fell to the floor the pistol was discharged.”