An Anchorage woman was arrested on several charges that included DUI following a serious accident on Lake Otis Parkway in the south Anchorage residential area on Tuesday, APD reported.

Patrol officers responded to the intersection of Cleo Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway at 8:09 pm on Tuesday night following a report of a vehicle hitting a light pole at that location.

Officers opened an investigation into the incident and interviewed witnesses at the scene who revealed that the driver, identified as 39-year-old Kathleen T Dahl, “was driving southbound on Lake Otis in a 1991 Chevy pickup while speeding, swerving, and hitting the curb.” 

When she got to the intersection of Cleo and Lake Otis, she left the roadway and drove up onto the sidewalk and hit the light pole. The impact broke the pole from its base and it crashed down on her vehicle, also hitting a juvenile, and the juvenile’s dog. The juvenile suffered serious injuries to her leg and was transported to a  local hospital for treatment of her injuries. The dog died at the scene.

Witnesses to the crash took Dahl’s ignition keys and so she was still at the scene when officers arrived. When police made contact with Dahl, they immediately detected the odor of alcohol coming from Dahl. Following “Standardized Field Sobriety Tests,” it was determined that Dahl was operating the vehicle under the influence. She was placed under arrest on charges of Assault I, Assault II, Assault III, Operating under the Influence, Reckless Endangerment, and Criminal Mischief and transported to the Anchorage Jail. 

During processing, corrections employees would find cocaine in Dahl’s jacket pocket and so, she would be additionally charged with Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance IV.

Dahl was arraigned on Wednesday and is scheduled for a pre-indictment hearing today. Vinelink reports that Dahl remains in jail. Her bail is set at $7,500 plus Alcohol and location monitoring.

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