Legislator's son charged with misdemeanors

PALMER — The older son of a valley legislator faces one count of driving under the influence and one count of sixth-degree drugs misconduct, court documents show.

An Alaska State Trooper arrested Ryan Wade Gattis, 26, of Anchorage after a traffic stop about 9 p.m. Dec. 14, according to a criminal complaint filed in district court. Both charges are misdemeanors.

Gattis exhibited horizontal gaze nystagmus, or uneven eye turning, and had bloodshot and watery eyes, and slurred speech, according to the complaint. He failed two field sobriety tests and admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before driving, according to the complaint. Troopers also discovered a glass pipe and a small amount of marijuana in the center console of the 2011 Mazda 3 sedan he was driving at the time.

Unlike a more detailed affidavit, a criminal complaint is a relatively bare-bones form containing the essential charging information only. In this case, the complaint does not contain information about where the traffic stop occurred or why, other than to say that it took place in Palmer.

A breath alcohol content test administered shortly after the arrest returned a result of 0.106. The legal limit for driving in Alaska is .08.

The Gattis’s younger adult son, Robin, is serving 16 years in connection with a federal case involving the importation of synthetic marijuana that resulted in the death of a friend.

Ryan Gattis was released on a $500 unsecured bond Dec. 19. His arraignment is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 30.