Alaska State Troopers say the driver of a stolen pickup truck they tried to stop early Wednesday on the Parks Highway led them on a half-hour chase that ended with the arrest of the driver and his passenger.
Troopers said in a dispatch that they attempted to pull over the 2009 Chevrolet pickup, with 27-year-old Robert Bates of Wasilla at the wheel, at about 5 a.m. near Mile 46 of the highway after they saw it driving erratically.
"The vehicle immediately accelerated to speeds exceeding 100 mph and failed to stop at a red traffic signal at Church Road," troopers wrote. "The vehicle continued to fail to yield for approximately 35 minutes and 40 miles, crossing the center yellow line multiple times as well as passing illegally and speeding at high rates of speed."
The truck, which troopers said had been stolen during a Fairbanks burglary, was eventually stopped on Palmer-Fishhook Road near Trunk Road where Bates was arrested on charges of vehicle theft, reckless driving and failing to stop at the direction of a peace officer. A passenger in the truck, 27-year-old Jessica Regeon of Anchorage, was taken into custody on a warrant for failure to appear in court on counts of misconduct involving controlled substances, theft and promoting contraband.
Both Bates and Regeon were held at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility. Bates' bail was set at $5,000, while Regeon's was set at $10,000 with a court-approved third-party custodian required for her release.