Alaska State Trooper sergeant rescues kitten</MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 2:27 p.m. Thursday, October 30, 2003

Alaska State Trooper sergeant rescues kitten

Off the blotter

by Michael Armstrong
Staff Writer

Photo by Michael Armstrong, Homer News
Trooper Sgt. Jim Hibpshman spends time in his office Wednesday with the kitten he rescued.

Alaska State Trooper Sgt. Jim Hibpshman, head of the Homer post, went Oct. 21 to a report from a sanitation worker of kittens crying in a Dumpster at the Ninilchik transfer site. Hibpshman climbed into the fully loaded Dumpster in search of the kittens, but could not find them among the trash. He said he had to respond to a report of a moose-vehicle collision, and when he came back found two women trying to locate the kittens. Eventually they found an orange male kitten under the dumpster.

"It was a challenge to get in a place where I could get my hand on him," Hibpshman said.

He reached in with his baton and pulled the kitten out. Hibpshman found a second kitten that had died. He took the surviving kitten to the Homer Animal Shelter and offered to pay for its care since the kitten was rescued outside of Homer. Sherry Bess, Animal Control Officer, said the kitten is doing well. She estimated it to be about 8-weeks old.

Hibpshman said causing pain or prolonged suffering to an animal is against the law and a criminal offense. Dumping kittens at a dump to freeze to death would be charged as a crime, he said. He asked anyone who might have information on the abandonment of the kittens to call him at 235-8239.

"If you have an unwanted litter, take responsibility," Hibpshman said. "Don't let them freeze to death."

Bess said Homer Animal Friends will pay 60 percent of the cost for spaying or neutering cats and dogs, and can pay the full cost if someone is unable to pay.

A Homer Police officer filed two separate charges of making a false statement against two men last week. On Oct. 18, Officer Cory Rupe stopped a man driving a Dodge van with a broken taillight on Pioneer Avenue. In court documents, police allege the man identified himself as Jonathan Michael Kuhn and said he had a Washington driver's license. Office Nathan Hull arrived on the scene and based on previous contacts identified the man as Jonathan Bud Brown, 24.

In another incident, Rupe on Oct. 26 stopped the driver of a 1990 Ford Tempo for speeding on the Sterling Highway. In court documents, police allege the man identified himself as Josh Martin Richardson and said he had an Oregon driver's license. His girlfriend told Rupe the man's name was Jason Richardson Gates, 33, of Anchorage. Gates was charged with making a false statement and driving while license suspended.

Alaska State Troopers on Oct. 22 made a traffic stop of a man seen driving a 1985 Dodge on the wrong side of Deep Creek Farm Road near the Sterling Highway in Ninilchik. Trooper Bryan Barlow administered field sobriety tests and had the suspect, James Carnell, 46, take a blood-alcohol test. Troopers allege Carnell had a blood-alcohol level of .207, more than twice the legal limit, and arrested him for driving under the influence.

We encourage you to add your comments. To prevent spam, comments with links are manually approved during the normal business day. Please be respectful of others with your comments, bear in mind anyone in the community may be reading your comments.