Alaska State Troopers responded to a report of a felony assault just before midnight on January 8; it resulted in a two-mile foot chase that left one of the suspects suffering from frostbite.
An AST dispatch said Fairbanks residents Kyle Curtin, age 26, and Cody Ladig, age 33, broke into a residence in the Chena-Ester Ditch Road area and beat and strangled the 30-year-old man living there. Following the assault, the two stole a vehicle from the residence and fled, but crashed into a ditch as troopers arrived in the area.
Curtin and Ladig then fled on foot; Ladig was quickly caught, but Curtin continued to flee and stole a GMC Sierra from the area. According to the dispatch, Curtin then drove the stolen truck down a dead-end road, left the vehicle, and fled into the woods with troopers in pursuit.
"The foot pursuit covered approximately two miles in a wooded residential area and lasted almost an hour in sub-zero temperatures," troopers wrote. "Curtin lost both of the shoes he was wearing, but continued to flee through thick brush and knee-deep snow."
When the troopers caught Curtin he was suffering from frostbite. He was transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for treatment. Promptly after his release, Curtin was arrested and charged with "felony assault, first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree vehicle theft, and eluding or evading troopers," wrote AST dispatch.
Ladig was charged with first-degree burglary, felony assault, first-degree vehicle theft, and eluding or evading state troopers.
Troopers report that the victim's injuries were treated at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital; he has since been released.
Contact Jessica Ridgway
