Lots of news from April, including a bunch of legal news. ALO was involved in civil trial concerning the use of tasers in the village of Hooper Bay which resulted in an adverse verdict. That trial is still ongoing and discussion of the details would not be appropriate until it is completed in May. Meanwhile, there were lots of other cases resolved. One civil case settled involving an accident which happened at a party when the owner of a construction company held a party at his home, which is also his shop. He invited two young women to ride with him on a man lift while intoxicated. The trio got about 20 feet off the ground when the equipment malfunctioned. Eventually ALO's client fell of the lift and crushed her pelvis. The defendant in that case, Jeff Hout, gained notoriety a few weeks later when he was arrested for a gruesome murder which happened at the same location.
Three Dillingham criminal cases were resolved as well, all felonies.
Two of them were resolved as misdemeanors, and the third was dismissed after the evidence was suppressed by the court. That case was an alcohol importation case worth discussion. Togiak has passed a local option law banning booze (by a very narrow vote) and there are folks in town who aren't happy. One such fellow was stopped at the Dillingham airport after a trooper observed him leave the local liquor store with some whiskey and beer. The trooper engaged the gentleman in discussion, intent on getting some sort of confession about the booze which the trooper presumed was in the suspect's three boxes, two of which were unmarked. After considerable discussion, the trooper opened the two unmarked boxes claiming they were abandoned, without a warrant. The court suppressed the evidence gained, based on ALO's motion, after a hearing in Dillingham. The best part of the case was the client's reaction upon hearing the news. Many legal websites carry supposed quotes from happy customers. Most of those are phoney, or at most modified to look good on the internet. This client's response will be posted verbatim, because it was one of the best ever. When told that the evidence was suppressed, the client stated "Myron, you are a f**king sweetheart of a man." Now that's an endorsement.
Sarah Angstman took a major career step when she decided to become a member of the Commissioned Corps within the Indian Health Service. She was sent to Washington DC for two weeks of training. She was surprised to learn that it was sort of like in the movies. For example, trainees who messed up their tasks were required to march around the perimeter of the classroom quacking like a duck for a few minutes and then were told to get "squared away." Any military person reading will fully indentify with that, but Sarah had very little military background, and was surprised to learn what it meant to belong to Uncle Sam. She survived the training and is now a Lieutenant, so salute when appropriate.
The rest of April news is dominated by pictures, including an award winning photo. John McDonald is one of several talented photographers in Bethel. He spent a few days at the Angstman cabin last summer, and his photo spread can be found here.
One such photo was entered in the Alaska Airlines photo contest, and out of 1200 pictures, John's was the winner. As a result, his picture is on the cover of the May issue of Alaska Airlines magazine, and he gets two first class tickets anywhere. Of course, regular readers recognize that this photo was taken from the deck of the Angstman cabin which has been the source of other photos on this page. John's photo was posted numerous times on Facebook after he won the award, and one comment noted that the only thing missing from the photo was some nice transmission lines from the hydro dam proposed nearby. ALO conducts a fair amount of legal business from that deck, and actually gets paid for it.
The rest of the month's photos include the mandatory moose photo
a lynx
and a ALO yard rabbit taken by Dolly.
Actually called an Arctic Hare, these critters are thick this year around the office, and provide daily entertainment. This photo shows a client's house in Toksook Bay after a severe April snow storm.
Yes, that is the roof you see. The final photo is a shot of Heart Lake Pass at the end of Chikuminik Lake, where the power lines are supposed to run.
This photo came from National Geographic. Most of the folks planning this dam have never seen what they are trying to wreck. The scene pictured would have an additional 60 feet of water if the dam is built.
And finally, bit of video. Many readers have commented that they enjoy the outdoor emphasis of this monthly report, and they have started to send stuff to include. Keep it up. This video shows an osprey having lunch, and it is astounding.