On Thursday evening, Wildlife troopers on Prince of Wales and Village Public Safety Officers on the island did a check on an unoccupied home in Hollis that resulted in the arrest of a Washington man on several charges.

VPSOs and Wildlife troopers went to the home at 5:15 pm on Thursday and immediately discovered fresh tire tracks in the newly fallen snow leading up to the supposedly empty home. At this discovery, the caretaker of the residence, who was out of state, was contacted. When contacted, the caretaker confirmed that the residence was supposed to be unoccupied.

The officers would make contact with a suspect at the home and identified him as 46-year-old Ronald W. Griffin. Griffin had recently arrived in Alaska from Washington state. It was determined that Griffin had been staying in the dwelling.

Search warrants were requested and granted and a search of the home was conducted. As a result of the search, authorities would find both heroin and methamphetamine in the house. Also found with the drugs was a large amount of money.

As a result of the investigation, Griffin would be arrested and charged with Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance II&III, Burglary II, and Criminal trespass I.

The suspect was transported to Craig and remanded to the jail there to await arraignment.

Eight hours later, at 1:33 am Friday morning, a second suspect would be seen leaving the residence with several items he had taken from the home. Contact was made and the man was identified as 54-year-old Terry J Newkirk of Washington state.

Newkirk was arrested and charged with Burglary II, Criminal Trespass I, and Theft IV. He too was remanded to the Craig Jail.

  Alaska, arrest, burglary, heroin, hollis, methamphetamine, prince of wales, ronald griffin, vpso, washington, wildlife troopers