At 1 pm on Thursday afternoon, Bethel-based troopers were alerted to a stolen white pickup truck driving erratically and headed to Bethel from Akiachak and troopers responded to locate the vehicle in Bethel, troopers reported.

Troopers would successfully locate the vehicle in Bethel and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The driver of the purloined vehicle ignored troopers and took them on a 50-mile chase along the ice roads between Bethel and Akiachak.

The chase came to an end just outside of the village of Akiachak when the truck impacted a snowbank becoming immobilized. Troopers made contact with the driver, identified as 30-year-old Charlene Peter of Akiachak, and placed her under arrest on multiple charges that included Vehicle Theft I, Failure to Stop at the Direction of a Peace Officer, Felony Misuse of Plates, DUI, and Reckless Endangerment.

Troopers also made contact and identified her passengers as 49-year-old Eddie Pasitnak and  27-year old Olaf Hopstad, both of Akiachak, and 30-year-old Dennis Pete of Akiak. All three were charged with Criminal Mischief V and Hopstad was additionally charged with violating his conditions of release in a previous case.

All four were transported back to Bethel and remanded to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Correctional Center. Troopers say that alcohol was a factor in the incident.

  charlene peter, chase, dennis pete, eddie pasitnak, ice roads, olaf hopstad, vehicle theft