Man jailed 16 years after crime

PALMER -- It was a simple misdemeanor case of driving under the influence, coupled with a second misdemeanor charge of driving with a revoked license.

Palmer court Magistrate Joseph O'Connell sentenced Marvin L. Anderson to 365 days with 90 suspended for the DUI, and to 180 days with 90 suspended on the other charge. The time was to be served consecutively, not concurrently.

That was on Jan. 27, 1987. O'Connell gave Anderson until March 31, 1987, to report to jail. When Anderson had still not done so as of July 31, 1987, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

And time went by. Years, in fact. More than 16 years came and went while the warrant stayed in effect and Anderson remained free.

But on Friday, officials at the Palmer courthouse received notice that Anderson was in custody in Anchorage. A courthouse spokeswoman said it's unclear if Anderson was arrested on an unrelated charge and the warrant came up during a computer check. Whatever the reason, the long-standing warrant -- and Anderson's jail time for the long-ago crimes -- is finally being addressed.

To have avoided detection for so many years means Anderson, now 66, was never stopped for a routine driving infraction, never had a potential employer do a background search, or any number of ways police are usually tipped off to the existence of a warrant.

Sometimes word of mouth does the job. That's what Alaska State Troopers hoped for, and got in many cases, when they published a list of Valley residents with outstanding warrants last year in the Frontiersman. Several warrants were served shortly after publication, thanks to tips from citizens.