City council member charged with driving under the influence

City Council member Robert Peterkin was also charged with a DUI in June.

Kenai City Council Member Robert Peterkin II is seen here in this undated photo. (City of Kenai photo)

Kenai City Council Member Robert Peterkin II is seen here in this undated photo. (City of Kenai photo)

Editor’s note: This article has been edited to correct the Conditions of Release for Peterkin’s June 13 DUI charge.

Kenai City Council member Robert Peterkin was arrested early Saturday morning by Kenai Police for driving under the influence of alcohol and violating the conditions of his release from a previous DUI charge three months ago, according to charges filed at the Kenai Courthouse.

Peterkin, 52, of Kenai, was driving on the Kenai Spur Highway at about 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 12 when he was stopped near Spur View Drive for driving without running lights, according to an affidavit filed at the courthouse Sept. 12. The affidavit also said Peterkin had an open container in the vehicle.

The portable breathalyzer test administered to Peterkin at the time showed a blood alcohol content of .11. A subsequent DataMaster test showed a BAC of .084. One of the conditions of release for a previous DUI charge, which took place June 13 in Homer, was that Peterkin not consume alcohol to excess.

Peterkin was arrested for driving under the influence and violating the conditions of his release and was taken to the Wildwood Pretrial Facility.

Peterkin confirmed the event on Tuesday, saying that he had been drinking at Kenai Joe’s that night and attempted to drive himself home when he was pulled over.

“I don’t know man, I had a couple beers at Kenai Joe’s and left, and my tail lights were out and they pulled me over,” Peterkin said. “They asked me if I was drinking and I told them, ‘yeah.’ I was .004 over the legal limit.”

Peterkin agreed that council members should be held to a high standard when it comes to how they conduct themselves in public.

Driving under the influence is a Class A misdemeanor, and violating conditions of release is a Class B misdemeanor.

More in News

Kenai Middle School Principal Vaughn Dosko points out elements of a redesign plan for the front of the school on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Work soon to begin on Kenai Middle security upgrades

The security upgrades are among several key KPBSD maintenance projects included in a bond approved by borough voters in October 2022.

The Kenai Fire Department headquarters are photographed on Feb. 13, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Kenai adds funds, authorizes contract for study of emergency services facility

The building shared by Kenai’s police and fire departments hasn’t kept up with the needs of both departments, chief says.

Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Best shows off a new inclusive seesaw at Kenai Municipal Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai awards contract to develop Parks and Rec master plan

The document is expected to guide the next 20 years of outdoors and recreation development in the city.

Balancing Act’s homepage for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. (Screenshot)
KPBSD launches ‘Balancing Act’ software, calls for public to balance $17 million deficit

The district and other education advocates have said that the base student allocation has failed to keep up with inflation.

Natural gas processing equipment is seen at Furie Operating Alaska’s central processing facility in Nikiski, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Harvest Alaska announces proposed redevelopment of Kenai LNG terminal

The project could deliver additional natural gas supplies to the Southcentral market as early as 2026, developers said.

A depth marker is almost entirely subsumed by the waters of the Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
After delay, borough adopts updated flood insurance maps

The assembly had previously postponed the legislation amid outcry from the Kenai River Keys Property Owners Association.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche points to where the disconnected baler ram has bent piping at the Central Peninsula Landfill in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough approves federal request to fund recycling redesign

A large baler that was used for recycling was recently left inoperable by a catastrophic failure in its main ram.

A person is detained in Anchorage in recent days by officials from the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (FBI Anchorage Field Office photo)
Trump’s immigration raids arrive in Alaska, while Coast Guard in state help deportations at southern US border

Anchorage arrests touted by FBI, DEA; Coast Guard plane from Kodiak part of “alien expulsion flight operations.”

Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist asks participants to kneel as a gesture to “stay grounded in the community” during a protest in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday focused on President Donald Trump’s actions since the beginning of his second term. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Trump protest rally at Alaska State Capitol targets Nazi-like salutes, challenges to Native rights

More than 120 people show up as part of nationwide protest to actions during onset of Trump’s second term.

Most Read