Wasilla man killed in KGB crash

WASILLA — A man died in a car wreck about midnight, Feb. 5 along Knik-Goose Bay Road, authorities said.

Dae Poteet, 24, was driving his 1997 Chevy Pickup south at about Mile 5 when it left the roadway and collided with a Matanuska Electric Association electric pole, according to an Alaska State Troopers press release. No one else was reported injured in the collision, authorities said. The accident remains under investigation, according to the trooper dispatch.

Nearby residents overheard the collision and contacted emergency authorities, who responded to the scene of the collision, according to borough deputy director of emergency services Clint Vardeman.

The area surrounding the crash scene is a residential neighborhood, Vardeman said.

Emergency medical personnel pronounced Poteet dead at the scene.

Gabriela Olide, Poteet’s high school sweetheart and girlfriend for almost 10 years recalled Poteet as a big-hearted, sociable man and caring father: the couple had a 5-year old son, Rhiley Layne Poteet, together. They were expecting another child in June, but hadn’t settled on a name, Olide said.

“We weren’t officially married, but might as well have been, and planned to one day soon be so,” she wrote, in a text message interview.

“He was the best boyfriend and dad,” Olide added.

The family was still working on establishing an account for donations and planned to hold a memorial service soon, she wrote.

Poteet is survived by his mother, Merry Belak; stepfather, Jim Belak; sister, Kimber Keene; brother, David Keene; and niece, Malia Walden, Poteet said. The couple had two dogs, Rocco and Rascal.

Houston city clerk Sonya Dukes said she knew Poteet as a friend of the family for several years.

“He’s my son’s best friend,” she said. “I’ve known Dae since he was probably 13 years old. He was a caring man. He was always, always appreciative of life. I think he had a lot of adopted family around the Valley.”

“If I could use just three words to describe him, he was ‘full of life,’” Dukes added. “He was what being 25 was all about.”

Other members of Poteet’s family were unavailable for comment as of deadline Thursday.

Poteet’s death is the first traffic fatality on Valley roads in 2015.

Update: The family has established an account for donations at the Alaska USA credit union under account number 1764501 and the name Gabriela Olide. Readers wishing to contribute funds to the family should contact the credit union.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.