Alaska

Ex-Alaska Judge Texted With Prosecutor About Ongoing Trial (1)

Published

1 year ago

October 10, 2024

Ex-Alaska Judge Texted With Prosecutor About Ongoing Trial (1)

Ex-Alaska federal judge Joshua Kindred texted with a federal prosecutor about an ongoing criminal trial where he was presiding and she attended, defense lawyers said in a new federal appeals court filing.

Kindred’s sexualized relationship with that assistant US attorney who previously served as his clerk helped prompt his resignation in July, and defense attorneys are citing the newly disclosed texts as part of an effort to get the defendant a new trial.

That clerk-turned-prosecutor attended an October 2022 criminal trial over which Kindred presided, and “communicated with Kindred via text during the pendency of the trial” in messages that contained “case-related commentary,” the Alaska federal defenders office said in filings Wednesday at the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The defendant, Jessica Spayd, was found guilty of drug distribution offenses and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The government told defense counsel that it obtained the texts after the trial, but before the defendant was sentenced in June 2023, according to the declaration, signed by Michael Marks of the Alaska federal defenders and filed alongside a motion to pause his client’s appeal while Spayd seeks a new trial.

“U.S. Attorney’s Office management indisputably knew of the conflicts shortly after the verdict,” the motion said. However, the government did not inform defense counsel or the trial prosecutors until nearly two years after the conviction, according to the filings.

Alaska US Attorney Lane Tucker and her top deputy, Kathryn Vogel, “allowed the trial prosecutors to go to sentencing without any knowledge of Kindred’s conflict of interest or the text messages” he exchanged with his former clerk-toward-prosecutor during the trial, the motion said.

“For his part, Kindred never revealed any conflict of interest to Ms. Spayd before he sentenced her to 30 years in prison,” the motion said.

A spokesperson for the Alaska US attorney’s office and a representative for the former clerk didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The exchange of text messages between Kindred and a prosecutor regarding an ongoing criminal case hasn’t previously been reported.

Prosecutors disclosed the text messages to defense counsel in August, according to the public defenders’ motion. The government has also provided two batches of text messages between Kindred and his former clerk, which were shared under a protective order.

Case conflicts

Spayd’s case is one of several where lawyers have indicated plans to request a new trial in light of potential conflicts of interest stemming from Kindred’s misconduct.

The Ninth Circuit Judicial Council found that the former judge sexually harassed his clerk, created a hostile work environment for other employees, had inappropriate relationships with lawyers who appeared before him, and lied about his conduct to investigators.

The US attorney’s office has said it learned of these conflicts in fall of 2022 and referred the allegations to the Ninth Circuit to investigate.

Last month, a federal judge ordered a new trial for an Alaska man convicted of cyberstalking in Kindred’s courtroom, on judicial misconduct grounds. That new trial was granted because of the involvement in the case of a senior prosecutor, later identified by Bloomberg Law as Karen Vandergaw, who was found to have sent nude photos to Kindred.

The case is USA v. Jessica Spayd, 9th Cir., No. 23-1303, 10/9/24

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Alaska

Musician performs under the aurora in Nenana — without gloves, in 17 degrees

Published

8 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Musician performs under the aurora in Nenana — without gloves, in 17 degrees

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A musician with Alaska Native roots recorded an hour-long live set in Interior Alaska beneath the aurora.

Chastity Ashley, a drummer, vocalist and DJ who performs under the name Neon Pony, celebrated a year since she traveled to Nenana to record a live music set beneath the northern lights for her series Beats and Hidden Retreats.

Ashley, who has Indigenous roots in New Mexico, said she was drawn to Alaska in part because of the role drums play in Alaska Native culture. A handmade Alaskan hand drum, brought to her by a man from just outside Anchorage, was incorporated into the performance in February 2025.

Recording in the cold

The team spent eight days in Nenana waiting for the aurora to appear. Ashley said the lights did not come out until around 4 a.m., and she performed a continuous, uninterrupted hour-long set in 17-degree weather without gloves.

“It was freezing. I couldn’t wear gloves because I’m actually playing, yeah, hand drums and holding drumsticks. And there was ice underneath my feet,” Ashley said.

“So, I had to really utilize my balance and my willpower and my ability to just really immerse in the music and let go and make it about the celebration of what I was doing as opposed to worrying about all the other elements or what could go wrong.”

She said she performed in a leotard to allow full range of motion while drumming, DJing and singing.

Filming on Nenana tribal land

Ashley said she did not initially know the filming location was on indigenous land. After local authorities told her the decision was not theirs to make, she contacted the Nenana tribe directly for permission.

“I went into it kind of starting to tell them who I was and that I too was a part of a native background,” Ashley said. “And they just did not even care. They’re like, listen, we’re about to have a party for one of our friends here. Go and do what you like.”

Ashley said the tribe gave her full permission to film on the reservation, and that the aurora footage seen in the episode was captured there.

Seeing the aurora for the first time

Ashley said the Nenana performance marked her first time seeing the northern lights in person.

“It felt as if I were awake in a dream,” she said. “It really doesn’t seem real.”

She said she felt humbled and blessed to perform beneath the aurora and to celebrate its beauty and grandeur through her music.

“I feel incredibly humbled and blessed that not only did I get to take part in seeing something like that, but to play underneath it and celebrate its beauty and its grandeur.”

The Alaska episode is the second installment of Beats and Hidden Retreats, which is available on YouTube at @NeonPony. Ashley said two additional episodes are in production and she hopes to make it back up to Alaska in the future.

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Alaska

Over $150K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

Published

20 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Over 0K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – An Alaska drug task force seized roughly $162,000 worth of controlled substances during an operation in Juneau Thursday, according to the Juneau Police Department.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, investigators with the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) approached 50-year-old Juneau resident Jermiah Pond in the Nugget Mall parking lot while he was sitting in his car, according to JPD.

A probation search of the car revealed a container holding about 7.3 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine, as well as about 1.21 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for fentanyl.

As part of the investigation, investigators executed a search warrant at Pond’s residence, during which they found about 46.63 gross grams of ketamine, 293.56 gross grams of fentanyl, 25.84 gross grams of methamphetamine and 25.5 gross grams of MDMA.

In all, it amounted to just less than a pound of drugs worth $162,500.

Investigators also seized $102,640 in cash and multiple recreational vehicles believed to be associated with the investigation.

Pond was lodged on charges of second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, two counts of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, five counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a substance and an outstanding felony probation warrant.

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Alaska

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

SAND POINT, Alaska (KTUU) – A teenage boy who was last seen Monday when the canoe he was in tipped over has been found by a dive team in a lake near Sand Point, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Alaska’s News Source confirmed with the person, who is close to the search efforts, that the dive team found 15-year-old Kaipo Kaminanga deceased Thursday in Red Cove Lake, located a short drive from the town of Sand Point on the Aleutian Island chain.

Kaminanga was last seen canoeing with three other friends on Monday when the boat tipped over.

A search and rescue operation ensued shortly after.

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team posted on Facebook Thursday night that they were able to “locate and recover” Kaminanga at around 5 p.m. Thursday.

“We are glad we could bring closure to his family, friends and community,” the post said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more details become available.

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