It was on Friday evening, at 8:25 pm that Alaska State Troopers  stopped a vehicle a 1198 Ford Taurus for a moving violation on the Sterling Highway at mile 48 in Cooper Landing.

But, as troopers approached the vehicle, the vehicle sped away from the scene and travelled up Snug Harbor Road at a high rate of speed. Troopers gave chase and once again stopped the vehicle.

But, the driver of the vehicle, later identified as 30-year-old Anchorage resident John Susma, was not yet ready to give himself up and fled once again, this time on foot.  Although troopers searched for the fleeing man, they were unable to locate him.

It wasn’t until five hours later that troopers received another  call. The caller reported that a man was swimming across the Kenai River, was in distress and calling for help.

Troopers responded to the scene and would contact the man at the Kenai Gun Range where he was hiding. It was they identified the man as Cusma and would find that he had been driving with no valid license and also had a $500 warrant for his arrest for a prior Driving without a License case that was issued last month. After arresting Cusma, troopers escorted him to the Central Peninsula Hospital for treatment of hypothermia as well as dehydration.

Cusma would also be charged with Felony Eluding and Reckless Driving.

After Cusma was released from the hospital, troopers transported the suspect to the Wildwood Pretrial Facility where Cusma was remanded without bail.

Court records show that Cusma is a registered sex offender with an extensive record that includes several felonies.

  Alaska, arrrest, cooper landing, evading, john cusma, kenai river, troopers