Troopers charged a Togiak man with Reckless Endangerment after he attempted to disrupt the flight transporting him to Dillingham court on Thursday.
According to the trooper dispatch, troopers in Dillingham were notified that George Arkanakyak Jr was being highly disruptive at the Togiak Public Safety Building in Togiak. Arkanakyak was being held there after being arrested on Wednesday night on Domestic Violence Assault charges. He had assaulted a female member of his family at approximately 9 pm.
Troopers determined that, because of Arkanakyak’s disruptive behavior, it was best to transport him to Dillingham to attend court physically. A Dillingham-based State Trooper as well as a VPSO traveled to Togiak to transport Arkanakyak to Dillingham.
The trooper dispatch said that, while processing Arkanakyak and readying him for transport to Dillingham and court, Arkanakyak repeatedly threatened to force the transporting aircraft to crash. He related to the officers that he wanted everyone to die when the plane went down.
Despite his threats, the trooper and VPSO restrained Arkanakyak and secured him in the aircraft. True to his word, while being flown to Dillingham, Arkanakyak once again became highly disruptive and fought against his restraints. As a result of his struggling, Arkanakyak loosened himself enough to become slightly mobile in the plane.
Concerned that Arkanakyak’s actions would endanger the flight and its occupants, the officers took physical action to further restrain Arkanakyak in order to curtail his disruptive behavior and ensure the safety of the personnel aboard the aircraft.
Once the plane touched down in Dillingham, Arkanakyak was transported to the Dillingham Jail, where he was remanded, and charges of Reckless Endangerment were added to the Domestic Violence Assault charges already leveled against him.