Troopers: Former assembly member hit snowmachine, left scene

PALMER — A former assemblyman is facing his second drunken driving charge in three years after Alaska State Troopers say he crashed his pickup into a snowmachine Friday.

According to a trooper press statement, Robert Wells, 56, was northbound driving his 1995 Ford pickup when he hit the snowmachine at Palmer-Fishhook Road and New Hope Street shortly before 3:30 p.m.

A boy — whose name wasn’t given in trooper reports because of his age — was driving the snowmachine at the time. He was not hurt, nor was Wells.

Troopers say Wells left the scene, but they found him, arrested him and charged Wells with drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Wells lost his bid for re-election to the Mat-Su Borough Assembly in October. The seat, which represents the Hatcher Pass area, went to Jim Colver.

According to Alaska law, a person’s third drunken driving charge in 10 years is a felony. Wells’ current arrest wasn’t charged as a felony, indicating it was his second. In March 2007, he was arrested for drunken driving, refusing a chemical test and having an open container of alcohol in his car after he hit a guardrail near Mile 53 of Wasilla-Fishhook Road. That case ended with Wells sentenced to pay fines and a serve a few days in jail.

Another lawyer in appealed drug case

PALMER — A man who won an appeal of his drug case in November because he was not allowed a state-appointed attorney had his first post-appeal hearing in court Monday.

Lee Owen Stenseth, 56, was convicted in 2007 on drug misconduct charges for filling a prescription for the powerful painkiller Roxicodone written to a name he used as an alias — Leonard Owen Underwood.

Stenseth paid for his own lawyer at different points in his case. But when it came to the very end, he said he couldn’t afford one. Superior Court Judge Eric Smith didn’t agree and denied his application for state-appointed counsel. Thus, when he pleaded guilty and received his sentence, he was representing himself.

In November, the state appeals court reversed Smith’s decision and sent the case back to him. Stenseth’s hearing Tuesday was delayed briefly as Smith tracked him down in Colorado, where he’s currently serving his sentence.

Once he had Stenseth on the phone, though, Smith learned that Stenseth had hired a lawyer again. Stenseth told the judge he had enough money for that at the moment, but that things would likely change as the case progressed.

Stenseth’s new attorney, Christine Schleuss, told Smith she intends to move to withdraw Stenseth’s guilty plea and ask that he be transferred to Alaska.

Trailer comes unhitched, hits snowmachine

WASILLA — A snowmachine trailer that came unhitched Sunday wound up slamming into another vehicle, sending its driver to the hospital with a serious leg injury.

According to an Alaska State Trooper press statement, at 1:33 a.m. officers were called to Pittman Road and Scatters Way. Marion T. Wood, 30, was northbound towing a homemade dual-axle trailer when it came unhitched and hit Erica L. O’Berg, 28, of Anchorage, head-on.

Troopers say O’Berg was eventually airlifted to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Though her leg injury was serious, troopers say it was not life-threatening.