A Noorvik man is behind bars in Kotzebue after Alaska State Troopers say he drove a four wheeler drunk through the northwest community, damaging property and injuring a young girl before being arrested.
Alaska State Troopers say Justin Field, 24, was arrested Tuesday by a Village Police Officer in the northwest community of Noorvik, a village of just under 700 people not far from Kotzebue.
The VPO was notified just before 9 p.m. Tuesday that Field was speeding through the community on a four wheeler while drunk. Signaling him to stop and get off the machine, the VPO took Field’s arm as he slowed down along Storage Street near the Public Safety Building.
Court records say Field quickly began to speed up as the VPO placed his hand on him, dragging the officer about 50 feet. Field sped away and the office perused him
Between initial contact with Field and his eventual arrest, court records show Field hit a 7-year-old girl with his four-wheeler. She had been walking along the road when, a trooper affidavit explains, he hit the girl from behind. She was taken to the community clinic with shoulder injuries.
The officer eventually found Field with the vehicle stuck in a ditch. The VPO tried to take him into custody, but after handcuffing one arm, the VPO said Field began fighting the officer. The officer asked others standing by for help, and was able to take Field into custody.
The night of the arrest a Noorvik resident contacted public safety, saying Field hit his snowmachine with his four wheeler. Trooper investigation revealed the machine’s skis, front radiator, front cowling, and belly pan were damaged, possibly beyond repair. The dollar value of the damage was not immediately clear.
Field faces two charges of third-degree assault, as well as a single charge of assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest, driving under the influence, and criminal mischief. He was arraigned in Kotzebue on Thursday.