Man jailed on gun, drug charges

PALMER -- A 27-year-old Wasilla man has been arrested on felony weapon and drug charges after allegedly threatening his girlfriend, Alaska State Troopers said.

Troopers were notified via Wasilla police on March 3 that Curtis Ion Whaley had taken his girlfriend away from Mat-Su Resort in his car and that he had a loaded SKS AK47, charging documents said. The person who called in the tip, a friend of the woman, said Whaley had threatened her, according to charging documents.

Troopers interviewed Whaley later in the day and he acknowledged he had an SKS in the back of his vehicle, Trooper Darren Hernandez said in an affidavit. Troopers also recovered a full 7.62 mm magazine of ammunition for the weapon, the affidavit said, and a white powdery substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Whaley was arrested on charges of second-degree misconduct involving a weapon, a class B felony, and for fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, a class C felony. He was lodged at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility in Palmer in lieu of $7,500 bail, troopers said.

According to the affidavit, Whaley told troopers his girlfriend willingly entered his car to go for a ride. "Whaley stated he must have scared [the woman] when he peeled out," the document said.

When a trooper found the white powdery substance during a search of the vehicle, Whaley asked what it was, charging documents said. The trooper asked Whaley to explain what it was, charging documents said, and he replied it belonged to a friend.

Whaley is scheduled to appear in court today for a pre-indictment hearing.