Federal and state authorities followed up Wednesday's sentencing of former Bethel Police office Andrew Reid with a news conference in Anchorage. Alaska Department of Law Criminal Division Director John Skidmore said that Reid's plea deal means that he can't return to police work.
“In the same way that you can have a barrel of apples, sometimes there are bad ones, and where those bad ones are found, they will be removed, as was the case with Mr. Reid," Skidmore said. "Not only did he have his police certificate revoked, he was also sentenced to jail time in this case.”
The FBI's new Alaska District Special Agent in Charge Marlin Ritzman said that the Bethel case is part of a national effort.
“For the FBI, public corruption and civil rights violations are our number one criminal priority. And we're standing up here today with our partnerships to let the community know that we take these charges very seriously, and we're committed to working with our local partners on insuring that these crimes are properly prosecuted,” Ritzman said.
Alaska's new Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth echoed that stance, indicating that she very much welcomes federal help in dealing with the serious challenges the state's legal and law enforcement system faces in rural communities.
“I want to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, for their thorough investigation and help in prosecuting Mr. Reid," Lindemuth said. "My office enjoys a very good relationship with both the FBI and the US Attorney's office, and this is yet another example of us collaborating to work on criminal justice issues, especially in rural Alaska.”
Responding to questions from reporters, the authorities said that the FBI was called in by the Bethel Police Department 10 days after the 2014 incident to investigate the case.