SITKA, ALASKA
Kookesh, Rocky Estrada, Stanley Johnson and Scott Hunter were set to face trial this week on charges they exceeded subsistence limits while fishing last July near Angoon.
The original report from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers states the four men were in possession of 148 sockeye salmon they caught using a beach seine. They were permitted to take 75, and the other 73 in their possession were delivered to the senior center in Angoon, according to that police report.
The trial originally was scheduled for October 5th, but was postponed until January, then again until this week (July 8th). Now, it’s set for September.
The latest delay comes after the state attorney general’s office filed a brief against the four men. Attorney Tony Strong, representing all four, asked for time to respond. That deadline was today (July 6th), but Strong says the court needs time to review the arguments.
The case has been reassigned to Sitka Judge David George, because the magistrate in Angoon is Elaine Kookesh, the senator’s daughter. September is the next time George is scheduled to travel to Angoon.
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