Sen. Josh Revak, who gave Sen. Scott Kawasaki a ride to the Kenai Classic in August, won’t have to face the charge of open container — the container of beer that Kawasaki brought along with him — because the Alaska State Trooper who stopped Revak for speeding is now in jail.
“The trooper that issued the citation and had the reasonable suspicion for the traffic stop will be unable to attend the scheduled hearing. While the circumstances surrounding this citation dismissal are not standard, it is standard practice for the Troopers to request the dismissal of a citation when the trooper with the reasonable suspicion for the stop cannot attend the hearing and rescheduling is impossible,” the Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
What makes it impossible for Trooper Benjamin Strachan to reschedule his appearance is that on Oct. 13 he was arrested for sexual abuse of a minor.
Troopers’ investigation found probable cause that Strachan sexually abused multiple victims within the last year. In consultation with the Alaska Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions, Strachan was arrested on one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the 1st Degree, and six counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the 2nd Degree. Strachan was remanded to Wildwood Pretrial.
Strachan had been an Alaska State Trooper since June 2020 and has been assigned to Soldotna Patrol during his entire career. Per policy, Strachan was immediately placed on leave pending the outcome of his case.
