Speeding teen motorcyclist in lots of trouble

WILLOW — Troopers say a 15-year-old boy on a dirt bike led them on a wild chase through Willow, forcing three pedestrians off the bike trial before giving up.

According to a trooper press statement, troopers first saw the boy whizzing down a paved bike trail Monday morning.

They say the kid slowed when he saw troopers, but then immediately sped off northbound on the trail along the Parks Highway, reaching speeds of 50 mph. A short while later, they saw the same motorcycle, this time heading south, still driving 50 mph.

Apparently a passing motorist also saw the dirt bike.

“A vehicle driving on the Parks Highway in the southbound direction began honking its horn as it approached the Willow Fire Station in an attempt to alert three pedestrians,” troopers report. “As the dirt bike passed the Willow Fire Station it forced the pedestrians to jump off the trail, out of the way, to avoid being hit.”

Troopers tried to stop the dirt bike, which ran from them three miles along the highway and then into a neighborhood near Willow Lake. Troopers say the bike ignored traffic signs and kept up its 50 mph pace before finally stopping at Willow Creek Parkway and Parks Highway.

Troopers say they arrested the boy and charged him with driving an ATV on a road with only an instructional permit, criminal mischief and felony eluding arrest. The boy was jailed at the Mat-Su Youth Facility.

Four bears dead, man cited

TALKEETNA — Troopers announced this week they have cited a 59-year-old Talkeetna man for shooting four brown bears at his home near Clear Creek.

In a press release Monday, troopers said that on July 6 Don Tanner shot a sow through his window, then shot two of her three cubs as they were attempting to break into his home.

They say he shot the third cub as it was standing beside the sow.

Tanner was cited for killing a sow accompanied by cubs and for killing bear cubs.