Alaska Briefs
Not-guilty plea entered in sexual assault case
JUNEAU - Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins entered a not-guilty plea Tuesday for a cruise ship passenger accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy .
John T. Johnson, 61, of Pacific, Wash., was brought into court from the Lemon Creek Correctional Center without an attorney. He is charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a minor and single counts of attempted first-degree sexual assault and attempted second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.
Johnson told Collins he thought he wasn't due back in court until Friday.
Collins told Johnson that the preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday won't be necessary. A Ketchikan grand jury indicted Johnson last week. The maximum prison sentence for each of the first-degree sexual assault charges would be 30 years, she added.
The crimes allegedly took place on Aug. 25 aboard the Star Princess in Stephens Passage. The mother of the alleged victim was allowed to participate in the hearing by telephone, but said she had nothing to say. She was not identified to protect the identity of her son, who also had been a passenger aboard the ship.
Johnson said he would have an attorney for his hearing next week to set a trial date.
Small business center to host seminar
JUNEAU - The Juneau Small Business Development Center, a nonprofit organization, will host a two-evening seminar from 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, Sept. 8 and 10.
"Starting your own business" will be geared towards individuals in the planning stages of creating a small business.
Local business professionals will cover the basic considerations in business start-up and share their knowledge of legal considerations, business insurance, record keeping, marketing, finance options and key elements to analyze before starting a business.
Speakers include Robert Anderson with First Bank; Daniel MacLeod, CPA; Stephen Sorensen with Simpson, Tillinghast, Sorensen and Longenbaugh; and Jackie Stewart, Juneau SBDC Director.
The conference will cost $35 and will take place in the third floor conference room of the Juneau Empire building. Call 463-3789 for more information or to register for the seminar.
Alaska Pacific Bank expands with new center
JUNEAU - Alaska Pacific Bank expanded its mortgage lending services last week with the opening of Alaska Pacific Mortgage on Jordan Avenue near Evergreen Motors.
The new office will be a one-stop service center for individuals, real estate agents and contractors looking to secure building funding.
"I think when it comes to purchasing homes and the home mortgage lending process, the idea of having a space devoted to that provides the customer with a more comfortable and focused atmosphere," said Gwen Rivas, a marketing officer for the bank.
Apart from the convenience of having loan origination, underwriting and processing in one place, the mortgage center will offer no new services in the new location, Rivas said.
No new staff was hired for the center.
The center will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as by appointment, Rivas said.
An invite-only reception to celebrate the grand opening of Alaska Pacific Mortgage will be held on Sept. 18. A reception for the general public will take place later that week.
Official arrested on drunken driving charge
FAIRBANKS - The presiding officer of the Fairbanks North Star Borough is charged with driving while intoxicated and refusing to take a sobriety test.
Assemblyman Rick Solie, an executive with ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc., was arrested early Saturday morning by University of Alaska Fairbanks police.
Solie, 43, also was cited on a charge of failing to drive on the correct side of the road, UAF Police Chief Terry Vrabec said.
Solie, reached at home Monday evening, declined to comment on his arrest.
The charges carry a maximum punishment of up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. If convicted, Solie faces a minimum three-day jail sentence.
Solie is finishing the third year of his second consecutive term on the assembly and cannot seek re-election this year because of the borough's term limits ordinance.
He has twice been elected the assembly's presiding officer, a job that entails supervising assembly meetings, setting the panel's agenda and communicating with the mayor.
Feds approve plan to fix child protection services
JUNEAU - Alaska's two-year plan to improve its child protection services was approved by regulators with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state officials said Tuesday.
The state Department of Health and Social Services' plan to improve its child protection services came as a result of numerous deficiencies identified in a federal review last year.
The plan will run until August 2005.
"This document is our roadmap for the next two years, and while the goals are certainly ambitious, they are also achievable," said Marci Dennai, deputy commissioner for the Office of Children's Services.