What began as a routine REDDI report quickly unraveled into a high-octane crime spree Saturday night, leaving wreckage and injury in its wake along the scenic but infamous stretch of the Seward Highway on Memorial Day weekend.
At approximately 7:58 pm. on May 24, Alaska State Troopers received a report of a motorcycle exhibiting dangerous driving behavior near Mile 13, not far from the near the Grayling Lake trailhead. Before troopers could intercept the motorcycle, the situation escalated dramatically.
A good Samaritan, seeing the motorcycle toppled and its driver apparently injured, stopped to render aid. But instead of receiving help, the motorcyclist, later identified as 47-year-old Rondy Dupuy of Seward, sprang into action, commandeering the bystander’s Jeep and speeding north on the highway.
As Alaska State Troopers scrambled to respond, information flooded in. The motorcycle itself, they soon discovered, had been reported stolen just hours earlier. And Dupuy’s reckless flight didn’t end with the Jeep theft.
Before authorities could bring the chaos under control, the stolen Jeep slammed into a sedan, injuring both occupants and prompting the closure of the Seward Highway for nearly two hours. Emergency responders and law enforcement descended on the crash site, securing the area and tending to the injured.
Dupuy, who had an outstanding warrant for Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, was taken into custody following medical treatment. In addition to his existing warrant, he now faces a litany of new charges: Two counts each of Assault in the Third Degree, Vehicle Theft in the First Degree, and Theft in the Second Degree, along with charges of Driving While License Revoked (DWLR), Driving Under the Influence (DUI), and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree.
Dupuy was remanded to Wildwood Pre-Trial Facility following medical clearance.
Alaska State Troopers expressed their gratitude to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, whose swift assistance proved invaluable at both the crash site and during the ongoing investigation.
May is Motorcycle Awareness Month.
