A Sitka resident was indicted last week after allegedly tampering with one of the city’s tsunami alarm sirens.
According to court documents, a city IT specialist notified police on February 26 that power to an alarm system, which is attached to a utility pole on Eagle Way in Sitka, had been deactivated at least three times in February.
A local business provided police with surveillance footage from February 23 that showed 35-year-old Samantha Losselyong carrying a large rock to the utility pole, standing on the rock, and manually switching off the power to the alarm.
On March 11, police said they made contact with Losselyong, who admitted to turning off the power because she “thought it was funny.”
Sitka Police Department spokesperson Serena Wild said that Sitka has 11 tsunami alarm sirens throughout town, and the rest of the system would have continued to function in an emergency scenario.
“Each siren has its own independent power source, and they operate together as a system, but they can also operate independently,” Wild said. “So even if that one siren is down, the other sirens in town would still go off and make noise and bring attention to the issue.”
Losselyong was indicted on March 13 on one felony count of criminal mischief. She is currently being held at Lemon Creek Correctional Facility. A trial has not yet been scheduled.
