Troopers arrest man on warrant after car chase near Soldotna

A car chase ended Wednesday night after a man evading an arrest warrant hit spike strips deployed by State Troopers, according to an online trooper dispatch.

Dakota Lynn McAdoo, 25, was wanted for failing to appear at an arraignment on charges of fourth-degree theft, and violating the conditions of his release, according to the dispatch.

Troopers said they tried to a black Volkswagen driven by McAdoo off Gas Well Road in Soldotna at about 9 p.m. on April 11. McAdoo reportedly failed to stop for troopers, leading to a pursuit.

Following the chase, McAdoo was charged with first-degree failing to stop at the direction of a police officer, a class C felony, and third-degree assault, a class C felony.

—Erin Thompson

Gun violence protective order bill stalls in Legislature

JUNEAU (AP) — An effort to address gun violence in Alaska has stalled in the state Legislature.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Matt Claman says he lacks support on the committee to advance the measure, which would have allowed authorities to temporarily take guns from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.

The Anchorage Democrat says he does not plan to hold further hearings on the bill.

Claman said he worked with the National Rifle Association and with committee members to try to address concerns that had been raised with the bill but came up short.

Lawmakers are hoping to finish their work as close to the 90-day session limit as possible. That voter-approved limit is reached Sunday, though the constitution permits sessions of up to 121 days.

Missile Defense Agency makes test launch calendar classified

FAIRBANKS (AP) — The government will no longer post a public calendar of upcoming missile tests under a new Missile Defense Agency policy.

The agency cited the need to “safeguard critical defense information” as the reason for making the testing schedule classified, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Wednesday. The website Inside Defense first reported the policy change last month.

The testing schedule will only be made be available to Congress.

Agency Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves said that pilots and boat captains will also receive a safety heads up about a week before any launches. He said test results will be made available after launches.

The central part of Alaska is home to most of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense interceptors, one of several missile defense tools in the agency’s arsenal. Fort Greely has 40 interceptors. An additional four are located at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Although it’s the main interceptor site, Fort Greely is not used for missile defense testing.

Testing of the interceptor system has taken place in Alaska at Kodiak Island’s Pacific Spaceport Complex. The Missile Defense Agency has used the Kodiak launch facility to launch mock warheads to be shot down by interceptors at Vandenberg or from Kwajalein Atol in the southern Pacific Ocean. So far, 10 of 17 interceptor tests of the Ground-based Midcourse system have been successful.

Greaves said the missile agency will continue to report the success or failure of tests after they are completed.

“There has been no change to information that is released after a test occurs,” Greaves said.

Kodiak has also been used to test another missile defense product, a truck-based missile known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.