A Toksook Bay man who allegedly assaulted and kidnapped a tribal police officer at gunpoint has been arrested and brought to Bethel to face multiple felony charges. Alaska State Troopers said that he avoided being captured for nearly two months.
On Jan. 27, troopers said that a Matanuska-Susitna Valley-based SWAT team helped them arrest 44-year-old Adrian Kailukiak, who had been avoiding arrest since early December 2025 in the Nelson Island community. Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said that no one had to fire their weapons and no injuries were reported to troopers during the operation.
The state issued an arrest warrant in early December 2025 after Kailukiak allegedly took tribal police officer Gregory Karl hostage at gunpoint. Another tribal police officer was able to defuse the situation, but Kailukiak was not arrested at the time. He was charged with felony kidnapping, weapons misconduct, and assault in the incident.
Troopers said that Kailukiak fled the community multiple times to avoid attempts by troopers and tribal police to arrest him.
On Dec. 29, 2025, tribal police found Kailukiak in a modified shipping container in Toksook Bay. According to charging documents, they retreated after hearing what sounded like someone loading a pistol.
Kailukiak is currently being held at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 28 in Bethel court on six felony charges and one misdemeanor.
