The Fourth of July weekend wasn’t just fireworks and fun for everyone.
A Juneau grand jury on Wednesday indicted Dale Ray Kubik Jr., 46, for allegedly driving while intoxicated on the Fourth of July.
Kubik, who was also indicted for refusing to submit to a chemical test, was driving a Chevrolet truck at 1 a.m. in the downtown area when Juneau Police Department Sgt. Dominic Branson spotted him jumping a raised divider near the Sealaska Heritage Building, according to a police complaint. Branson signaled for Kubik to pull over but Kubik proceeded to enter the Marine Parking Garage, striking the “maximum height” sign before finally stopping.
“There was a strong odor of alcohol coming from the truck’s cab,” Branson reported. “(Kubik) had bloodshot watery eyes, the odor of alcohol on his breath, and slurred speach (sic) that was difficult to understand.”
Kubik reportedly told Branson he drank three beers during a picnic a few hours prior to driving. He failed multiple field sobriety tests before his arrest.
Court records show that Kubik has five prior DWI convictions stemming from incidents in 1990, 1991, 1995, 2007 and 2009.
Both charges Kubik currently faces are class C felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine. He was arraigned Tuesday in Juneau’s District Court, and a second arraignment will likely take place in Superior Court as a result of the indictment.
Other arrests
Kubik was just one of nine drunk drivers police arrested this holiday weekend, according to figures released by JPD spokesman Lt. David Campbell. That total includes activity from Thursday through Monday, and it is triple the amount of DUI arrests during the same dates last year.
Campbell said that figure should be taken with a grain of salt when comparing DUI activity over the years because the day of the week that the Fourth of July falls on has a lot to do with how many parties — and possible incidents of drunken driving — will follow.
In anticipation of the high volume of calls the department expected over the extended holiday weekend, every officer capable of working, including Chief Bryce Johnson, worked in some capacity. And as part of a grant the department received to target DUI activity, designated officers patrolled specifically for impaired drivers.
“It’s such a danger to the entire community when someone drives impaired,” Campbell said.
Other criminal incidents that increased this holiday weekend compared to last year include traffic stops (172 this year compared to 54 last year) and domestic violence calls (21 this year compared to 2 last year). Calls about improper firework usage also rose for the third year, with 46 total calls. Overall, 739 incidents were reported to the department.
One incident, a residential burglary in the 200 block of Gastineau Avenue on Monday, occurred while the homeowners were gone for one hour during the Fourth of July parade. Campbell said a laptop computer, a jar of change and items from a purse were reported stolen. The front door is believed to have been left unlocked. Police have no leads at this time.
Surprisingly, Capital City Fire/Rescue responders didn’t suffer the same call influx as JPD officials, according to CCFR Assistant Chief Ed Quinto.
“Nothing exciting,” is how Quinto summarized calls during Independence Day celebrations. None of the department’s emergency calls this past weekend were firework-related and the call load was actually on the low-side, resembling a regular workday, Quinto said.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
