Edition of Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Federal judgment of more than $1.3 million in bribery case over Eielson Air Force Base contracts

The U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Alaska announced on Sept. 18 that the United States recovered more than $1.3 million in civil damages and penalties in a False Claims Act action over a bribery scheme affecting construction contracts at Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

According to the release, a former Air Force contracting officer, Brian Lowell Nash II, accepted more than $400,000 in bribes from a contractor, Ryan Dalbec, in exchange for confidential bidding information on $8.25 million in federal contracts. The release states that Nash, Dalbec and Dalbec's wife, Raihana Nadem, were criminally convicted; that Nash was sentenced to 30 months and Dalbec to 42 months; and that treble damages and penalties were entered against them and against the company Best Choice Construction, LLC.

Eielson Air Force Base is inside the area this report covers. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, at Anchorage, is not. The judgment is the largest public corruption matter recorded inside the coverage area since this report began.

Two dates attach to this item and both are accurate for the document they belong to: the Department of Justice release carries the dateline Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, and KTVF and Alaska's News Source each published reports on the judgment on Sept. 19.

Source: U.S. Attorney, District of Alaska, Sept. 18

Four primary records could not be reached Wednesday evening

Four of the records this report is compiled from were unavailable on the evening of Sept. 30: the Alaska State Troopers daily dispatch, the Fairbanks Police Department daily bulletin, the Alaska CourtView case database, and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner public safety column.

As a result there is no count of police or trooper activity for Sept. 30 in this edition beyond what was read that morning, and no open court case was re-checked after the morning pass. Readers should not take the absence of items as an indication that Wednesday was quiet in Fairbanks; the records that would show what happened were not available.

Two sources were reached in the evening pass: the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Alaska and the Alaska Department of Law. Local newsrooms were also reviewed. The next edition is expected to restore the daily counts and the court docket checks.

Source: Alaska State Troopers daily dispatch · Fairbanks Police Department daily bulletin · Alaska CourtView

Bentley Drive shooting that killed two remains open pending medical examiner findings

A police account of the Bentley Drive shooting that killed two people, attributed to Fairbanks Police Deputy Chief Richard Sweet and reported by KTVF, states that officers received a 911 call from a home on Bentley Drive at about 9:12 p.m. from a caller reporting that his friend had shot his girlfriend.

According to that account, a 22-year-old man was handling a revolver when he pointed it at a 21-year-old woman and fired. Investigators believe the weapon held a single round and do not know whether he was aware it was loaded. A third person at the home tried to stop him from reaching a second firearm and was unsuccessful. After the woman was shot, the man shot himself. The woman died at the scene and the man died of his injuries at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

The report states the case remains open pending a final determination from the state medical examiner's office, including toxicology results and examination of the wounds. No determination has been announced. The names of the two people who died are not published here.

The calendar date of the shooting has not been established from an official record; the police account gives a time of day but no date, and this report has previously carried the event under two different dates.

Source: KTVF, published Sept. 18, 2026

Tractor death on Goldridge Drive confirmed as Sept. 22; no medical examiner finding announced

Alaska State Troopers say Daniel Mulford, 53, was killed on Tuesday, Sept. 22 while helping a neighbor dig a hole with a tractor at a Fairbanks residence. Troopers say he became pinned by a part of the tractor and died. Troopers were called at 12:53 p.m. Foul play is not suspected and next of kin have been notified.

A report by Your Alaska Link places the incident on Goldridge Drive and states that emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

No finding by the State Medical Examiner's Office has been announced. The trooper dispatch entry recorded that the office requested the body for autopsy and that the investigation remains ongoing.

Source: KTVF, Sept. 23, 2026 · Your Alaska Link, Sept. 23, 2026

Former tribal employee sentenced for embezzlement in southwest Alaska

The U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Alaska announced on Sept. 29 that William Corbett, 37, was sentenced to two years and one day in prison with three years of supervised release for embezzling from the Curyung Tribal Council at Dillingham, where he was hired as an accountant and IT specialist in February 2023.

He was ordered on Sept. 28 to pay $125,834.58 in restitution. The conduct took place between October 2023 and February 2024.

Dillingham is in the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska, well outside the Fairbanks area this report covers. The item is noted here because it is the only movement on the federal prosecutor's index since the previous edition.

Source: U.S. Attorney, District of Alaska, Sept. 29

Thirteen days since the state announced a Fairbanks-area case outcome

The Alaska Department of Law has not announced a criminal case outcome from the Fairbanks area since Sept. 17, when it reported a 30-year sentence in a Fairbanks sexual assault case. That is 13 days.

The department's most recent release, dated Sept. 28, concerns a multi-state civil challenge to firearms purchase waiting periods. The two items before it concern a data breach settlement and vehicle sales restitution.

The department announces only a portion of the cases the Fairbanks court closes. Court records remain the fuller source for case outcomes.

Source: Alaska Department of Law press releases

Robbery with a cutting instrument reported on the Old Steese Highway

The Fairbanks Police Department daily bulletin records a robbery involving a cutting instrument in the 900 block of Old Steese Highway between 1:46 and 1:47 p.m. on Sept. 27, case 26002980, reported at 1:47 p.m.

It is an incident report rather than an arrest. No suspect is named, no charge is recorded, and no court file has been identified. The entry reached public view on Sept. 30, three days after the reported incident; the bulletin had shown no events for Sept. 27 on four earlier readings.

Source: FPD daily bulletin

Aggravated assault reported on Eureka Avenue

The Fairbanks Police Department daily bulletin records an aggravated assault involving hands, feet or fists in the 400 block of Eureka Avenue at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 27, case 26002978.

It is an incident report rather than an arrest. No suspect is named, no charge is recorded, and no court file has been identified. Like the robbery reported the same day, the entry reached public view on Sept. 30.

Source: FPD daily bulletin

City police bulletin adds sixteen events to five earlier dates

The Fairbanks Police Department daily bulletin was read for ten dated days on Sept. 30 with the date header confirmed for each. Five dates returned higher counts than at the previous reading: Sept. 22 rose from one event to two, Sept. 24 from five to six, Sept. 25 from one to seven, Sept. 26 from two to seven, and Sept. 27 from none to three. Sixteen events were added in total, the oldest of them eight days old.

Among the additions are a robbery with a cutting instrument and an aggravated assault on Sept. 27, a DUI arrest and a theft arrest on Sept. 25, a harassment arrest on Sept. 26, a violation of a domestic violence protective order on Sept. 25, and two arrests at the Rabinowitz Courthouse recorded at noon on out-of-sequence case numbers.

A count on this bulletin reflects only what had been posted at the time of reading. It is a minimum rather than a total, and counts published for earlier dates may rise.

Source: FPD daily bulletin

Grand jury indicts two defendants; one count raised from a misdemeanor to a felony

A Fourth Judicial District grand jury returned indictments in two cases on Sept. 29, according to the court record. Jurisdiction in both was transferred to Superior Court the same day and both preliminary hearings in each case were vacated.

In the case against Amanda Elizabeth Moff, one count of tampering with physical evidence to prevent an official proceeding, a Class C felony dated Sept. 22 at Fairbanks, is now recorded as an indicted charge. The count had previously stood on a complaint. A Superior Court arraignment is set for Oct. 7, an omnibus hearing for Dec. 1 and a trial week for Dec. 14.

In the case against Pavel Ivanovich Budnik, dated Sept. 20 at Delta Junction, the court file records two counts, both now indicted and both Class C felonies. Count one, terroristic threatening in the second degree with fear of serious injury, is unchanged. On count two the file records the original charge as violating a condition of release for a felony, a Class A misdemeanor, and the indicted charge as assault in the third degree, causing fear of injury with a weapon, a Class C felony. A bail hearing is set for Sept. 30, a Superior Court arraignment for Oct. 7, an omnibus hearing for Dec. 1 and a trial week for Dec. 14.

Both defendants are charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska CourtView

Prosecutors drop one of two felony drug counts in narcotics sweep case

The court docket in the case against Joshua Jon Burks records a charge dismissed by the prosecutor on Sept. 29, following a notice of dismissal for count two filed on Sept. 25.

The case charged two counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the third degree, manufacture or deliver, both Class B felonies dated Sept. 16 at Fairbanks. The first count carries an indicted charge. A Superior Court arraignment is set for Sept. 30, an omnibus hearing for Nov. 3 and a trial week for Nov. 16. A preliminary hearing previously set for Oct. 7 is recorded as vacated.

The offense date is that of a multi-agency narcotics warrant operation in Fairbanks that produced ten arrests. Two of those ten are traceable in the court record. Burks is charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska CourtView

North Pole assault charge filed after welfare check arrest

A complaint filed on Sept. 29 charges Cheala Taylor Shepherd, 24, of North Pole, with one count of assault in the fourth degree, recklessly injure, a Class A misdemeanor dated Sept. 28 at North Pole. The count is recorded as domestic violence related.

The charge follows an arrest reported by Alaska State Troopers on Sept. 28 after a welfare check at a North Pole residence concerning reported elder abuse. No court file existed when that arrest was first reported, so no charge class was stated at the time.

The court record does not describe the incident and does not identify anyone as a victim. The Public Defender Agency was appointed from the bench. Shepherd is charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska CourtView · AST daily dispatch, Sept. 28

Three more domestic violence cases filed at Fairbanks

Three further cases recorded as domestic violence related were filed at Fairbanks on Sept. 29.

Anya Marie Tumbloo, 36, is charged with one count of criminal trespass in the second degree, upon premises, a Class B misdemeanor dated Sept. 29 at Fairbanks. She was arraigned the same day and counsel was appointed from the bench. A pre-trial conference is set for Nov. 19 and a trial week for Nov. 30. The charge follows a trooper report of an arrest early on Sept. 29 after a caller asked that a person be removed from their property.

Robin Tanika Patricia Judon, 53, of Fairbanks, is charged with one count of assault in the fourth degree, recklessly injure, a Class A misdemeanor dated Sept. 29 at Fairbanks. She was arraigned the same day and counsel was appointed from the bench. A pre-trial conference is set for Nov. 19 and a trial week for Nov. 30. The charge follows a trooper report of an arrest after a disturbance at a residence.

Dustin William Olmstead is charged with assault in the fourth degree, recklessly injure, a Class A misdemeanor, and criminal mischief in the fifth degree, damage under $250, a Class B misdemeanor, both dated Sept. 24 at Fairbanks and both recorded as domestic violence related. A summons has been requested and no hearing is calendared. The case appears in no police or trooper report.

None of the three court records describes the incidents and none identifies anyone as a victim. All three are charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska Court System weekly charges report, run Sept. 29 · Alaska CourtView

Warrant issued in three-count Fairbanks methamphetamine case

The court docket records a warrant issued on Sept. 29 in the case against Vitaliy P Gayvoronskiy, filed the previous day. A warrant had been requested when the complaint was filed.

The case charges three counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree, manufacture or deliver methamphetamine, each a Class A felony, all dated April 27, 2026 at Fairbanks. The court file records no indicted charge on any count, so the case stands on a complaint and has not been heard by a grand jury.

No hearing has been calendared, no attorney is entered for the defendant, and the public record does not state that an arrest has been made. The charges appeared in no police or trooper report. Gayvoronskiy is charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska CourtView

Details published of Fairbanks narcotics operation that produced ten arrests

An account of the Sept. 16 multi-agency narcotics operation in Fairbanks was published by Your Alaska Link on Sept. 25 and updated on Sept. 28. It is the first published account of the operation this record has found.

The report states that the Fairbanks Areawide Narcotics Team coordinated searches of residences for drugs, guns and the proceeds of drug trafficking; that SWAT teams from Fairbanks and the Mat-Su Valley worked with local, state and federal agencies to execute search warrants at seven residences; that more than 50 people were contacted and ten arrests were made; and that more than a pound of methamphetamine, three guns and more than $18,000 were seized. Troopers are quoted putting the street value of the seized drugs at between $11,200 and $12,800 in the Fairbanks area.

The report names no defendant and gives no case number. Two of the ten arrests are traceable in the court record: the cases against Joshua Jon Burks and William Bruce Ostlund, both indicted Sept. 24. One of the two felony counts against Burks was dismissed by the prosecution on Sept. 29.

Source: Your Alaska Link, Sept. 25, updated Sept. 28

Fairbanks man charged with first-degree harassment

A charging document filed on Sept. 27 charges Donald Pannick, 70, with one count of harassment in the first degree, a Class A misdemeanor, at Fairbanks. The count is recorded as not domestic violence related.

The Fairbanks Police Department daily bulletin records the arrest at the 1600 block of East Cowles Street at 12:54 a.m. on Sept. 26, case 26002968. The bulletin entry reached public view on Sept. 30. He was released under the court's bail schedule and an arraignment is set for Oct. 2.

The court record does not describe the incident and does not identify anyone else involved. Pannick is charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska CourtView · FPD daily bulletin

Two-year-old theft case reaches arraignment after warrant served

An arraignment was held on Sept. 29 in a Fairbanks case charging one count of theft in the fourth degree, less than $250, a Class B misdemeanor dated October 2024. The case was filed in December 2024 and has remained open since.

Counsel was appointed from the bench and conditions of release were entered. A pre-trial conference is set for Oct. 15 and a trial week for Oct. 26.

The court record shows sixteen calendared events across twenty-three months, seven of them arraignments, three of which ended with a failure to appear and a warrant, and several pre-trial conferences and trial weeks marked vacated or calendared in error. Warrants were issued in April 2025, May 2025 and April 2026; the last was served on Sept. 28. The defendant, Cheala Taylor Shepherd-Townley, is charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska CourtView

Charges now on file in eleven Fairbanks cases the weekly report lists as pending

The Alaska Court System's weekly charges report records a case as it stood on the day it was filed and does not revise that line, so a case shown with a charging document pending may since have been charged. Eleven such case numbers were checked in the court's public index on Sept. 30 and all eleven now carry charges.

Charged with driving under the influence, each a Class A misdemeanor: Zack Williams, Dusty Jordan Reimer, McKennah Jacklynn Knott, Tariq Vldermir Joseph Eskridge, Kimberly Nicole Baird, Alexis Elizabeth Jobe, Mariano Alberto Quinonez Perez, and Douglas Gordon Soles, whose file also carries a count of having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and records a $200 fine and a $20 police training surcharge.

Nevaeh Lee Young is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, runaway, a Class A misdemeanor. Ethan Fansler is charged with driving with a licence cancelled, suspended or revoked with a prior conviction, a Class A misdemeanor. Christopher Curtis Smith is charged with misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree, possess while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor at North Pole.

Two further cases were matched to arrests recorded on the city police bulletin. Marion Willard Rhode Jr, 60, is charged with driving under the influence and refusing to submit to a chemical test, both Class A misdemeanors, following an arrest in the 400 block of College Road on Sept. 25. Vladimir Valentine Kulikovskiy, 39, is charged with theft in the fourth degree, less than $250, a Class B misdemeanor, following an arrest in the 500 block of Johansen Expressway on Sept. 25. In each case the age recorded on the bulletin is consistent with the date of birth on the court file.

Three case numbers remain recorded with no charging document: cases against Jason Westley Price at North Pole, filed Sept. 25, and Austin Rue-Roberts at Fairbanks and Lori Ellen Weaver at North Pole, both filed Sept. 29. Everyone named is charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska CourtView · Alaska Court System weekly charges report, run Sept. 29

Thirteen criminal cases filed at Fairbanks on Tuesday, none carrying a felony count

The Alaska Court System's weekly charges report, generated at 9:00 p.m. on Sept. 29, records thirteen Fairbanks filings for that day. No count in any of the thirteen is a felony.

Four are the domestic violence cases reported separately. Of the rest, Rane Almquist-Corgill is charged with driving under the influence with a breath alcohol content of .08 or over, a Class A misdemeanor at North Pole, together with driving without a valid operator's licence, an infraction, and a minor operating a vehicle after consuming alcohol, recorded as non-criminal. Sanna Hein is charged with driving under the influence and violating conditions of release for a misdemeanor. Tammy Eileen Fleagle is charged with driving with a licence cancelled, suspended or revoked with a prior conviction. Arnold Richard Pitka is charged with theft in the fourth degree and two counts of violating conditions of release.

Margaretta Marie Kosidowski is charged with driving in violation of an instruction permit. Dillon Eli Miller is charged with two counts of theft in the fourth degree. Charity Elaine Ludvick is charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving vehicle damage. Two further case numbers, against Austin Rue-Roberts and Lori Ellen Weaver, carry no charging document.

The report also added three cases to earlier filing days: a City of Fairbanks charge of drinking in public against Kelsey Dawn Jackson, dated Aug. 24, added to Friday Sept. 25; a charge of failing to stop for a school bus against Vincent Jean Francois Andre, dated Sept. 14, and a charge under the state's moose hunting season and bag limit rules against Matthew Borst, dated Sept. 5 at Two Rivers, both added to Monday Sept. 28. Everyone named is charged, not convicted.

Source: Alaska Court System weekly charges report, run Sept. 29

Hearings this week in the Interior's open felony cases

A status hearing is set for Sept. 30 in the Fairbanks case against Cedar Mae Sarten, who was convicted in May of two counts of murder in the first degree and one count of murder in the second degree in the death of a child. Sentencing remains set for Nov. 6. The State filed its sentencing memorandum and notice under Criminal Rule 32.1 on Sept. 25.

Superior Court arraignments are set for Sept. 30 in the cases against Joshua Jon Burks, William Bruce Ostlund and Alfred L Nelson. A bail hearing in the Nelson case, which charges one count of assault in the second degree, a Class B felony recorded as domestic violence related and indicted on Sept. 9, has been set for Oct. 2 following a defense application filed Sept. 28.

A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 30 in the case against Jerald Burton, charging one count of assault in the second degree, a Class B felony. A bail hearing is set for Sept. 30 in the Budnik case at Delta Junction.

In the case against Cody Steven Rudolph-Munro, a bail hearing is set for Oct. 1 and an omnibus hearing for Dec. 10. A trial week of Jan. 4, 2027 now appears on the event list; the trial week of Oct. 12 has been reset. Preliminary hearings are set for Oct. 1 in the North Pole kidnapping case against Dante Nathaniel Larry Claxton, who is charged, not convicted, and in whose case an attorney entered an appearance on Sept. 28.

The results of the hearings set for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 are unverified: the court's public case index could not be reached in the evening pass on Sept. 30.

Source: Alaska CourtView