Alaska will deploy 25 National Guard soldiers and airmen to Washington D.C. this month, according to a Friday update from the Alaska Department of Military and Veteran Affairs.

The deployment is part of a response to President Trump’s August declaration of a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital. In the nine months since, 2,500 troops remain, according to NBC4 Washington. Guard members have assisted with medical emergencies, arrests and beautification projects, as well as snow removal.

The division announcement said the Alaska service members will be focused on public safety: “Guard members provide support functions such as crowd management, perimeter security, and logistical and communications support.”

Alaska National Guard members will deploy for 60 days, according to the division, as part of a joint task force with the Metropolitan Police Department and federal law enforcement partners.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy approved a verbal request in November from the U.S. Secretary of the Army for Alaska to deploy 100 service members, following a national directive by the Pentagon to all 50 states to prepare National Guard service members to train for “civil disturbance operations.”

A spokesperson for Dunleavy’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the smaller deployment, the purpose and timing of the mission on Monday.

Lawmakers had raised concerns about the Pentagon’s national directive for an estimated 20,000 National Guard service members to be trained and prepared to deploy in U.S. cities within 24 hours. Alaska was initially charged with preparing 350 service members as part of a “quick reaction force” by Jan. 1.

Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, co-chair of the Alaska Joint Armed Services Committee, and a veteran of the Alaska National Guard, was among those who had raised concerns.

On Monday, Gray said the smaller deployment for 60 days is less of an issue.

“I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the American taxpayer to be flying service members from Alaska to D.C. to do what I don’t believe is of grave consequence,” he said.

“At the end of the day, to me, it’s sort of a nothing burger. I do think that it shows that the Dunleavy administration and General (Torrence) Saxe are in alignment with Trump. They’re showing that they support Trump’s agenda. But again, this is just not that big of a deal, in my opinion.”

PHOENIX – Sheriff’s officials in Maricopa County say a man has been arrested in connection with a case involving a Utah teen who was reported missing in late April.

What we know:

According to a May 5 statement from MCSO, 30-year-old Armando Sanchez-Lopez was arrested on April 29, after he was seen with the missing teen.

Investigators said the teen left Lehi City, Utah on April 24 in an unknown vehicle.

“Information provided by a family acquaintance indicated the juvenile may have been in Arizona and possibly being held against her will,” read a portion of the statement.

Dig deeper:

MCSO said it was determined that on the night of April 24, the acquaintance had provided transportation for the juvenile to a home in the area of Dysart Road and Maryland Avenue in Litchfield Park.

“The juvenile requested to be dropped off a short distance away and proceeded on foot. When the acquaintance attempted to follow, an unidentified adult male confronted him and reportedly brandished a rifle, prompting the acquaintance to leave the area,” read a portion of MCSO’s statement. “In the days following, the acquaintance received messages from the juvenile indicating she was being held against her will and was in need of assistance.”

On April 29, investigators said they received “updated information that the juvenile had returned to a residence in the area and had subsequently left on foot with an adult male toward another nearby address.” They later contacted the teen and the man, who turned out to be Sanchez-Lopez.

What’s next:

Per MCSO, Sanchez-Lopez has “five prior sexual related accusations involving several victims.” He is accused of sexual assault, sexual conduct with a minor, kidnapping, aggravated assault, custodial interference, and failure to comply with a court order.

Officials say MCSO’s Special Victims detectives are still investigating the case.

Twenty-nine people were busted with fake IDs inside a sushi restaurant on California’s Central Coast on April 23, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

Undercover agents with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control busted the underage drinkers at HaHa Sushi and Ramen on the 1000 block of Olive Street. Inside the restaurant, agents saw “a large group of youthful-appearing individuals” ordering and drinking alcohol, the San Luis Obispo Police Department said.

“In accordance with state law, agents contacted and identified the members of the group, discovering no one was 21 years old and every person was in possession of a fake identification card,” police said.

During the investigation, 29 people were cited and released for possession of a fake ID. Six of these suspects were arrested for being minors in possession of alcohol. All of the suspects were cited and released from custody at the restaurant.

“Preventing the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors helps increase public safety by reducing DUI arrests and collisions,” the San Luis Obispo Police Department said. “Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a collision than older drivers. About 25% of fatal crashes involve underage drinking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”