Crime

On the evening of June 2, over 100 Bethel residents gathered to peacefully protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by Minneapolis police. The Black Lives Matter movement has resonated with Bethel residents, who are predominantly Alaska Native, another group familiar with inequities in law enforcement.

After almost a year of searching, the City of Bethel has found a new police chief. The candidate, Richard Simmons, and the city have agreed to a conditional offer of employment, but he still needs a background check and confirmation from the city council to finalize the agreement. The council’s decision to increase the police chief position’s salary to $140,000 is said to have been key to attracting a suitable candidate. 

A potential tragedy was avoided in Kwethluk on Saturday, May 16. According to state troopers, a 19-year-old man, Brian Nicolai, broke into the village public safety building dressed for combat. He staged rifles inside, and activated the fire alert system. When village police officers responded, the officers say that Nicolai shot at them. But no one was hurt, largely thanks to an armed resident who got Nicolai to give up his weapon and lie on the ground. The incident has VPOs wondering if they themselves should carry firearms. 

A Kwethluk man broke into the village’s public safety building on May 15, staged rifles around the building, and shot at a village police officer, according to Alaska State Troopers. Nobody was injured during the incident. Troopers arrested Brian Nicolai, 19, who is charged with attempted murder and being held at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center.

Months after former Bethel Elementary School Principal Chris Carmichael was arrested, and later charged with sexual abuse of a minor, the Lower Kuskokwim School District adopted a new training curriculum to prevent sexual abuse in schools, according to the district’s attorney. It’s aimed at identifying sexual grooming early, and stopping it before it escalates. The training, new to LKSD, is new to Alaska as well. 

There are now at least four girls alleging in court that former Bethel Elementary School Principal Chris Carmichael abused them. In December 2019, Carmichael was arrested, and later charged with sexual abuse of a minor. Since then, attorneys for four of Carmichael’s former students have filed a lawsuit against the Lower Kuskokwim School District, where Carmichael worked, saying that the district failed to protect them.

For some parents, it was the gifts from the principal to young girls and their families that gave them pause. A few too many presents that cost a little too much money. Then began the late-night Facebook messages.