By DAVID IGNELL
“Something here is really stinky.”
Those were the words retired Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Dick Burton chose to begin his email to three former colleagues on Jan. 2, 2023.
Burton’s colleagues agreed. One responded, “the whole thing is bizarre.” Another responded that he had checked with a retired district attorney who said it sounded funny to him as well.
The “really stinky” something that Burton was referring to was the Class C felony assault indictment against Ketchikan Police Chief Jeffrey Walls obtained by the Office of Special Prosecution under Attorney General Treg Taylor.
Matt Clark, an OSP prosecutor, had appeared before a Ketchikan grand jury four days earlier on Dec. 29, 2022. Count I of the proposed indictment was for a Class B felony assault requiring Walls’ intent to cause physical injury. Count II was for a Class C felony not requiring intent, but recklessness. The grand jury returned a “no true bill” on Count I but returned a true bill on Count II.
The indictment stemmed from an incident at Salmon Falls Resort, a restaurant outside of Ketchikan city limits, on September 10, 2022. Walls was off duty and went out to dinner there with his wife Sharon. During their meal, Walls was twice assaulted by a drunk customer from Washington State who would later admit his first assault against Walls was intentional.
The second assault occurred about a half hour later after the first. The assailant was served alcohol by the resort in between. In the second assault, he slammed into not only the Chief but also Sharon, hitting her with such force that her shoulder and chest were bruised.
Immediately after recovering from the second assault, Walls chased down the assailant in the restaurant and used force to try to detain him until Alaska State Troopers arrived. Two staff members of the resort who hadn’t seen the assaults interfered with Walls’ detainment resulting in another off-duty Ketchikan police officer, Kevin Manabat, trying to help Walls subdue the assailant.
After AST arrived, the drunk man was arrested and originally charged with four misdemeanors including assault, harassment, and being drunk on a licensed premise. Taylor later dismissed those charges and went after Walls instead, claiming Walls used excessive force in taking down the assailant. The Office of Special Prosecutions also threatened Officer Manabat with charges.
In evaluating Taylor’s decision, Walls’ background is highly relevant.
Walls had arrived in Ketchikan a year earlier from New Orleans, where he had been a highly decorated police officer, detective and commander. The recipient of 20 awards, medals, and letters of commendation since 2001, Walls had spent the previous 10 years as the Police Commander of the Eight District which includes the French Quarter.
Walls promotion to Police Commander occurred while the US Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights was investigating an alleged pattern of civil rights violations and criminal misconduct by the New Orleans Police Department. The NOPD and Justice Department soon entered into a consent decree, an extensive blueprint for positive change, encompassing sweeping, department-wide reforms that were expected to take many years to implement.
A federal district court maintained jurisdiction over the Consent Decree with annual reporting by a Monitoring Team. Bullet points in its 2019 Executive Summary include “NOPD continues to make significant progress in every area of the Consent Decree” and “NOPD leadership deserves significant credit for bringing the Department this far.” Walls was part of that leadership team.
Walls had grown up in a small Alabama town and missed the feel of a tight-knit community. He’d always loved the idea of moving to Alaska, so when the police chief position in Ketchikan became vacant, he applied.
He was hired in early 2022 and quickly focused his attention on reducing illegal narcotics activity. He promoted drug prevention programs in the schools and increased his department’s community outreach. He began working with judges to implement diversion programs for low level offenders.
Walls also focused on drug seizures and immediate gains were realized. In his first year, KPD seized 17,000 deadly fentanyl pills, an increase of over 500% from the previous year. Undoubtedly, the lives of many Alaskans were saved through his initiatives.
But Walls wasn’t satisfied with this achievement. His department knew some drugs had slipped by them and Walls wanted them to be even more effective. He initiated the City’s acquisition of a K-9 dog with unique training that increased the dog’s reliability and credibility in court proceedings.
In November of 2022, the FBI Special Agent in Charge for Alaska made a visit to the Ketchikan Police Department to commend them for these seizures. That year Ketchikan seized more illegal narcotics than any other department in Alaska.
Did Taylor have a problem with that? The Attorney General obtained the indictment against Walls the following month.
Walls’ first annual performance evaluation in January of 2023 concluded, “Chief Walls consistently exceeded expectations in his role as Police Chief. He has demonstrated a deep commitment to public safety, community engagement, and officer development. Under his leadership, KPD has achieved significant drug seizures, improved relationships with the community, and prioritized training for his staff.”
In June of 2023, Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Kathryn Lybrand dismissed the indictment against Walls, finding that prosecutor Clark had advised the grand jury in error. Clark had wrongly led the grand jury to believe that because Walls was off duty, he had no authority to use force to detain his and his wife’s assailant pending AST’s arrival.
Really stinky indeed: OSP had obtained its indictment obtained against a good police officer by misleading the grand jury on the law. Go figure. But things were about to get even stinkier.
Taylor decided to go after Walls again. This time our Attorney General took the highly unusual step of presenting the Class C charge to a grand jury in Juneau where none of the witnesses were present. Taylor assigned a different prosecutor to advise the grand jury, OSP’s Bailey Woolfstead.
In September of 2023, the Juneau grand jury indicted Walls not only on the Class C felony, but determined that Walls’ use of force was intentional adding back in the Class B felony count that the Ketchikan grand jury had rejected.
In December of 2023, Lybrand once again threw out the illegally gained indictment against Walls. The judge found that the prosecutor presented the case to the grand jury in a way that removed material evidence from its consideration. The judge also found that the testimony of Alaska State Trooper Larry Dur’an was “incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading” in a material way.
Unbelievably, Taylor went after Walls a third time, once again using the highly irregular measure of utilizing grand jurors in Juneau. Taylor assigned yet another OSP prosecutor, Krystyn Tendy, to advise the grand jury. Tendy succeeded in obtaining a Class C felony indictment against Walls in January of 2024.
For the third time, Judge Lybrand threw out the indictment but this time she took the highly unusual step of dismissing the indictment with prejudice. Lybrand wrote in her May 3, 2024 order, “the State’s three consecutive failures to present this case correctly leave the court with no confidence that the State will do it correctly a fourth time.”
Lybrand barred the State from going after any more felony indictments against Walls. However, the judge did not dismiss the State’s misdemeanor charges against Wall, allowing a jury trial on those charges to stay on calendar for September 10, 2024.
By now Walls and his wife Sharon were done with their Alaska dream that had turned into a two-year nightmare. Before the scheduled trial, Walls reached an agreement with Taylor where in exchange for a dismissal of the misdemeanor charges, he would retire as the Police Chief and leave the state.
Sam Curtis a spokesperson for the Department of Law said ensuring Walls “will no longer be part of Alaska’s law enforcement community was a primary goal” of their agreement to dismiss the remaining misdemeanor charges.
Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore stated, “Neither Ketchikan, nor any other community in Alaska, nor any community in the rest of the country will be at risk that Mr. Walls’ poor judgement will impact them while wearing the uniform of a law enforcement officer.”
Undoubtedly, fentanyl traffickers throughout SE Alaska joined the Department of Law in celebration.
However, the City of Ketchikan was not pleased. In a memo to the mayor and City Council, the assistant city manager wrote:
“It is with great sadness that the City Manager’s office accepts the retirement notice of Police Chief Jeffrey Walls…. During his tenure, Chief Walls has served our community with distinction and dedication and has done so throughout his career. He has instituted lasting changes for the department, including increased community engagement and dialogue, robust training and promotional opportunities for staff, implementing advanced technologies in the field of police work, leadership restructuring, a K-9 program, and the beginnings of a reserve program. The City Manager’s office has always been impressed with his leadership, integrity, and commitment to public service and community, and we consider it a privilege to have been able to work with him these last several years.”
Police Chief Walls gave a lot to Alaska. What did our Attorney General give to him in return? The shaft.
Sharon Walls, an assault victim without recourse, thanks to Taylor, doesn’t want to ever return to Alaska. She told me that if someone told her there was a pot of gold in Alaska and all she had to do to claim it was to fly back to Alaska, she would pass.
Sharon still can’t understand why Taylor would drop charges against her assailant and go after her husband so aggressively, misleading the grand jury on multiple occasions. Sharon holds a political science degree from Louisiana State University, where she took a course in public corruption. In her mind now, Alaska is the #1 state in the country for public corruption.
There are a number of aspects to the Walls’ story that are deeply disturbing, yet tie into a long pattern of abuse of power by State officials responsible for Alaska’s criminal justice system. More details will be forthcoming.
Before he passed away in June 2024, former Commissioner Burton expressed deep concern about some of these other aspects in the Walls’ case. They involve AST.
In Burton’s remembrance, a Facebook post by the AST stated, “his devotion to law enforcement in Alaska was unrivaled.” In honor of Burton, maybe it’s time AST leadership started being honest with themselves. Top officials there know what I’m referring to.
As for the Department of Law, it’s one thing for its prosecutors over the years to manipulate grand juries in indictments and attempted investigations into cases involving “ordinary” citizens like Thomas Jack Jr., David Haeg, or numerous families who have had their children wrongfully kidnapped by OCS. But when the Department of Law manipulates and misleads three different grand juries to indict a decorated police chief whose department has just been commended by the FBI for its effort in taking deadly drugs off the street, they’ve elevated the problem to a whole new level.
Fellow Alaskans, we’re in deep, deep trouble.
All three branches of the State government have known about these problems for a long time but have chosen to ignore them. Like New Orleans, perhaps the State of Alaska’s criminal justice system needs federal oversight under a consent decree.
If that happens, maybe, just maybe, we can convince Chief Walls and Sharon to return to Alaska and use their extensive experience to help oversee our transition from a state known for its corruption to a state known for its justice.
In the process, perhaps many more Alaskan lives will be saved.
David Ignell was born and raised in Juneau where he currently resides. He formerly practiced law in California state and federal courts and was a volunteer analyst for the California Innocence Project. He is currently a forensic journalist and recently wrote a book on the Alaska Grand Jury.
Unbelievable!
I knew when I saw the title to this article that David Haeg would be involved…..
My gut tells me there’s more to this story than what’s shared here, just like all of Haeg’s allegations. May justice prevail.
It is in itself telling when a prosecutor willfully determines to drop assault charges to initiate an action against the defender of the victim. There is no other way to look at it but from a jaundiced perspective of the prosecutor, who apparently has an axe to grind and it certainly had nothing to do with ‘criminal justice’ or victim justice. One might think that the OSP was on the take. What is known about the suspect but what is reported here? But more interestingly, what is know about the AG. Over the years of pursuing political favor, these up and comers often sell their souls to obtain that prize and power, but there will come a time when they have to re-pay the debt. It happens every day; quid pro quo, and eventually someone will call their marker. It’s been going on for eons. Alaska is no different, they’re just crappy at hiding it, in spite of the vast Alaska wilderness as a dumping ground. Alaska for all it’s gruff talk and tough persona really doesn’t like effective professionals who get the job done because they will eventually uncover some shady enterprise involving some popular politician and scandal will again enter the spotlight. The lesser intended actor will be sacrificed but the real offender will get away with a slap on the wrist, a cakewalk suspended sentence and agree to step down from public view. This case and the outcome is a function of government overreach, prosecutorial misconduct and dogged pursuit of sour grapes. I’m just glad the Judge was able to see through the thinly veiled attempt to destroy an upstanding Crime Fighter. Good luck to the Chief and I too am departing this state in a matter of weeks, in part due to the mounting state sponsored BS.
The story is very believable!
Alaska needs a federal investigation to immediately commence. Three Alaskan citizens have requested a federal investigation from U.S. District Attorney Heyman with letters and a Petition for Redress of Grievance. Copies have been forwarded onto U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Thank you Mr. Ignell for this article.
Well, speaking as a retired Trooper…. as they say, “you don’t know the half of it.”.
Care to elaborate?
Thanks for shedding light on the matter captain.
I tell you what I do know Capt Lewis my trust in the troopers is not good. Very unprofessional outfit. They are certainly not public servants, I’m not sure what they are.
Hmm somebody was profiting off the drug trade in Ketchikan and it was not Chief Walls.
Anyone who ignores the deep corruption, ingrained nepotism and blatant lies told to We the People by our State government officials, I’ve got a Covid vaccine to sell you.
Yup.
The police are just as corrupt as the politicians.
But, probably not as much as the teachers unions….
🤔 And the plot just keeps thickening…
Juneau has no use for honest man.
It really isn’t surprise is it?
I would submit that if all three branches of our state government are aware of the problem, they not only code to ignore it, but most likely are complicit which makes them culpable. God bless the author of this column and may God protect him. I have a feeling there is a target on his back.
Lots of red herring in this piece Dave. Sounds like you have an axe to grind. You bring up a child molester and poacher who were convicted at trial by a jury. There’s no more fair and impartial system than trial by a jury of your peers. I wish Wall’s case woud’ve went to a jury to make the call on whether he went to far in his “self-defense” or his “detainment”. Too bad he took a deal before we ever got all the facts to a jury. I suspect Walls and his attorney must’ve known they’d take an L when presented to a jury.
Also, Walls had little to do with the drug seizures made by the Southeast drug taskforce, credit to AST and hard working line level KPD cops. KPD is in a better place with homegrown leadership that is invested in the community they serve; not bringing it heavy handed New Orleans street justice.
Truth Serum, I see your argument is based upon the premise the jury system managed and manipulated by a questionable judiciary is sacrosanct. If you are wrong on that premise then your entire argument collapses upon itself. The truth is not found as easily as picking fruit from a tree. It requires hard work and diligence.
“We Told You So: The Case of Chief Walls Confirms Alaska’s Deep Rot — and AG Treg Taylor’s Contempt for Justice”
By Edward D. Martin Jr.
On behalf of myself, Betty Jo Moore, Scott Egger, Thomas Garber — and all Alaskans still waiting for justice.
David Ignell’s extraordinary article, “Something Stinky,” pulls back the curtain on a criminal justice system that no longer serves the public — it protects itself. What happened to Ketchikan Police Chief Jeffrey Walls is not an isolated mistake. It is the result of a long, willful pattern of abuse by the Alaska Department of Law, under the direction of Attorney General Treg Taylor.
For those of us who have been documenting misconduct, constitutional violations, and statutory lawbreaking, this article is not surprising. It is confirmation. In fact, the very same office that railroaded a decorated police chief with three false felony indictments is the one that has:
Ignored lawful bonding requirements for public officers under AS 39.05.050 and AS 39.15.010–100;
Stonewalled multiple requests for a lawful grand jury presentment to investigate these violations;
Summarily dismissed citizen complaints against corrupt judges, prosecutors, and administrative officials;
Abused prosecutorial discretion to punish whistleblowers, while enabling fraud by state actors.
Let us be clear: AG Treg Taylor’s office misled three different grand juries to pursue a vendetta against a man who had just saved lives through a 500% increase in fentanyl seizures. That alone should have sparked an immediate legislative inquiry. Instead, the other branches of government — the Legislature and Judiciary — looked away.
We, the citizens, did not.
We filed sworn complaints.
We submitted public records requests.
We presented evidence of official misconduct, conflicts of interest, and unethical conduct.
We cited Supreme Court Order No. 10.
We quoted AS 39.15.030.
We demanded the truth.
What did we get in return?
Silence.
Smokescreens.
A systemic cover-up.
And when we finally got responses — they were dishonest. Just like the misconduct Judge Lybrand had the courage to expose, prosecutors in Treg Taylor’s office mislead with impunity. But what they did to Chief Walls — railroading a public servant, lying to the grand jury, and coercing an exit agreement — reveals the extent to which justice in Alaska has become a political weapon.
This Isn’t Incompetence. It’s Malice.
Chief Walls’ work was disrupting powerful interests — just like we are. He represented an ethical standard that threatened the status quo. The AG’s Office couldn’t allow him to succeed.
And so, like David Haeg, like Thomas Jack Jr., like many other citizens and families harmed by Alaska’s broken system, they made him pay.
But as Ignell writes, “Fellow Alaskans, we’re in deep, deep trouble.”
And I say: We must do something about it.
Our Demands:
Immediate federal investigation into the Office of Special Prosecutions and AG Treg Taylor’s conduct under 18 U.S.C. § 242 (deprivation of rights under color of law);
Referral to Congress for oversight hearings and, if necessary, consent decree monitoring;
Reinstatement of grand jury independence and repeal of unconstitutional SCO 1993 and 2000;
Accountability for bonding violations — with the removal of unbonded officials and restitution to the public;
Public exoneration and apology to Chief Jeffrey Walls and his wife Sharon;
Emergency legislative reform, including statutory amendments to limit prosecutorial abuse and enforce transparency across all branches.
David Ignell’s reporting has put the truth in plain view. Now it’s time for action — not more silence, not more delay.
Alaska is not a dumping ground for public corruption. It is the Last Frontier, and with God’s help, we will make it first again — in liberty, in law, and in justice.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” — 2 Corinthians 3:17
Alaska public officials take an OATH to uphold and protect the constitutions. Alaska Constitution Article III Section 16 states that the governor shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws.
SCO 1993 violates Alaska Constitution Article I Section 8.
August 2022 Chief Justice Winfree and AG Taylor have a phone conversation regarding SCO 1993. Chief Justice Winfree follows up with a letter to AG Taylor of their phone conversation. SCO 1993 was signed December 1, 2022. SCO 1993 violates an individual’s right to make a presentment before a grand jury regarding the pubic safety and well-being. Oxereok v. State Alaska 1980 sets out the convening of the grand jury. “…that a grand jury can be lawfully convened only by a judge of the superior court and that such authority cannot be delegated…” SCO 1993 is a huge mess. Some members of the Criminal Rules Committee wanted to wait till their meeting in mid-December to make a decision.
Alaska Code of Judicial Conduct Canon 2 and 3 (2)(a)(b) ‘https://courts.alaska.gov/rules/docs/cjc.pdf
Cannon 2 Commentary “…Actual improprieties under this standard include violations of law, court rules, and other specific provisions of this Code…”
What happens when a citizen files a complaint with the ACJC about a Judge violating the laws? Nothing.
When a judge violates the law what happens when the Deputy AG files a complaint?
Chair/Judge Mead of the ACJC points out in a recent letter to Mr. Martin that there is only one case where a judge was removed. I read the case regarding Judge Cummings and the Deputy AG intervened and filed the complaint with the ACJC where the Judge violated ex parte communications. Will Judge DiBenedetto be the second Judge removed?
Thank you Mr. Ignell for another great article.
Walls made the mistake of doing his job, and doing it well.
Can’t have that, apparently.
Wonder who’s gravy train he interrupted.
Like I said previously…I’m not surprised David Haeg’s name is mentioned in this article. He was obviously interviewed. It’s puzzling because it seems (similar to Haeg’s claims) that the whole story isn’t being presented. I’m surprised that some fault (or corruption allegations) haven’t been alleged against the Ketchikan judge as Haeg does not want ANY judicial officer retained, he claims they are all corrupt and covering for one another. His claim is that officials cover for one another to make their agencies look good, giving more trust by ‘we the people’. There’s so more to the story than what’s been shared in this article.
Yes Robin, there is a lot more to this story — more will be coming out in my next article. Part of the reason for this was the length of the initial article. At almost 2000 words it was double the length of most articles.
No, I didn’t interview David Haeg in advance of the story. 3 years ago I requested Superior Court Judge Amy Mead, the presiding judge in Juneau to appear before the grand jury there to provide them evidence pertaining to the wrongful conviction of Thomas Jack, Jr., and to investigate both the Department of Law and the judiciary in this proceeding. I also asked the grand jury have the ability to retain an independent prosecutor from outside of Alaska, just as was done by the Sheffield grand jury in 1985 when a former Watergate prosecutor was brought in.
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Judge Mead did not permit me to appear before the grand jury and allowed the DoL, which had a huge conflict of interest, to advise the grand jury. What has happened in the David Haeg requested grand jury investigation is very similar to what has happened in the investigations I and others have requested.
Not all Alaska judges are corrupt, but very few are brave like KTN judge Lybrand. Former Bethel Judge Terrence Haas is another brave judge I can think of — he called out OCS in a case and then retired from the bench.
Superior Court Judges who stand up to the DoL risk advancing in their career. I brought this issue up on Bob Bird’s show on Monday. Any subsequent appointments have to be approved by the Governor and the DoL undoubtedly has influence in that decision. Its a flaw in our constitution. The people should be able to elect our judges.
Walls was hired early 2022 and involved in the bar altercation by September, 2022? Did I read that correctly?
This would have been a fascinating read if it weren’t for the foreknowledge that it was written, nay composed, by David Ignell.
It seems that his thirst for attention is only rivaled by his capacity to tell a tall tale.
You’ll never, or very rarely, ever catch an attorney in a lie, but you’ll certainly note an obvious talent with omission and cherrypicking.
Having read the essay and the comments, I’ve the impression David Ignell has an agenda & slanted his essay to support such.
Thought having said that, if the introductory data is correct, that “Walls was twice assaulted by a drunk customer from Washington State who would later admit his first assault against Walls was intentional.” and that Wall’s wife had bruises from the encounter, Walls, no matter what additions or omissions might have been made by Ignell to fit his agenda, was railroaded!
I live in Ketchikan, family has been there for 4 generations. The drunk guy should have been charged, along with the cop. He was never vetted , by anyone if he was they would of seen what he was caught up in back at his job at N.O.P. not saying standing up for your wife is bad , that is what we as husband’s do, the problem is he is a cop and could of control the whole problem. Trust me when the cops and attorneys want to get you on that island they’re it happen, seen it dozens of times.