An ATV driver was arrested in North Pole Thursday after leading Alaska State Troopers on a four-mile chase.
Troopers were patrolling Holmes Road around 5 p.m. Thursday when they saw a yellow ATV speeding, according to court documents.
Troopers turned on their lights and sirens as the ATV approached Dennis Road. Troopers saw the driver, later identified as 37-year-old Jake Daniel Pluard, look back at the troopers and speed away onto Dennis Road.
Pluard reportedly drove in a loop from Dennis Road to Aztec Road to Glen Road, back onto Holmes Street, onto Ione Street and Vicki Lane, then back onto Dennis Street. Pluard took Dennis Road south to the Old Richardson where he drove east, sometimes in the oncoming lane of traffic, until he hit Durango Trail. At that point, Pluard turned onto an off road trail.
Pluard reportedly reached speeds of 65 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone and up to 80 mph on Dennis Road. He reportedly almost hit a couple walking their dog on Ione Street.
Troopers saw the ATV stuck in deep slushy snow on Blue Sky Court. When Pluard saw the troopers, he got out of the ATV and headed towards Mill Pond Court. Troopers followed Pluard’s tracks in the snow and found him hiding in a work truck on Mill Pond Court.
It turns out the yellow ATV he was driving was valued at $8,000 and in stolen status in a Fairbanks Police Department Case.
Pluard was charged Friday with felony failure to stop.
Fairbanks District Court Judge Matthew Christian set Pluard’s bail at $1,000. Pluard is not to drive a motorized vehicle as part of his bail conditions.
Contact Haley Lehman at 907-459-7575 or by email at hlehman@newsminer.com.
