Trial in deadly Unalaska cliff crash again delayed after police find ‘drawer’ of records

A memorial to nan 2 teens killed successful a 2019 clang astatine Unalaska’s Ulatka Head Cliff, Karly McDonald and Kiara Renteria Haist. (File/KUCB)

The proceedings of a driver who was a teen erstwhile his motortruck rolled disconnected a cliff successful Unalaska 5 years ago, sidesplitting 2 high-school girls, has again been delayed aft constabulary discovered further records related to nan case.

At a position proceeding Friday, authorities charismatic Patrick McKay Jr. pinch nan District Attorney’s Office successful Anchorage told nan tribunal that nan Unalaska Police Department has caller accusation related to nan proceedings of Dustin Ruckman, now 23. Ruckman was group to beryllium tried this month successful nan deaths of Karly McDonald and Kiara Haist.

The superior investigating serviceman connected nan lawsuit thought location were missing pages from her report, according to McKay.

“There was a archive that had astir 20 much pages aliases truthful connected nan report,” he told nan court. “They were really duplicative of different documents that had been separated from nan existent study that was antecedently discovered.”

On apical of that, McKay said nan constabulary section recovered a drawer of records, including things for illustration disks, related to nan lawsuit — astir of which is conscionable copies of worldly they already had. In ray of nan recently discovered accusation though, McKay asked nan section to nonstop complete each of their worldly for nan case. According to Unalaska City Manager Bil Homka, nan metropolis precocious became alert of nan worldly and is investigating nan situation.

There is besides immoderate integer grounds from nan FBI that hadn’t been included. McKay was incapable to connection immoderate further accusation connected why that hadn’t been submitted earlier.

Altogether, he told nan tribunal location could beryllium hundreds of gigabytes of accusation — immoderate of which could beryllium caller — and has to beryllium evaluated.

Police opportunity Ruckman, who was a high-schooler astatine nan clip of nan May 9, 2019 crash, drove his motortruck disconnected Ulakta Head Cliff connected Unalaska’s Mount Ballyhoo. He told investigators he was thrown from nan truck. McDonald and Haist were successful nan conveyance erstwhile it fell astir 900 feet down nan cliff. Both girls died successful nan crash.

Ruckman is charged pinch manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving.

Jury action for nan proceedings was group to return spot this week successful Unalaska. But Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews, who is overseeing nan case, said nan tribunal should person clip to reappraisal nan recently discovered information, and that whitethorn return a while.

McKay said astir of nan worldly from nan section constabulary section is repetitive and shouldn’t impact nan case. It includes respective documents, each of nan assemblage camera footage, caller constabulary reports and drone videos. Both sides will request to reappraisal each of nan worldly earlier determining whether it includes thing caller that could impact nan case.

Defense lawyer Julia Moudy told nan tribunal that she apt won’t person clip to beryllium fresh for a proceedings successful Unalaska until adjacent twelvemonth because of nan caller evidence. She suggested moving nan proceedings to Anchorage instead, wherever nan tribunal would person an easier clip uncovering an impartial jury.

Matthews listened to grounds from parents of some of nan girls who died. The families urged nan judge to support nan proceedings local. Matthews yet denied nan defense’s petition to alteration nan venue to Anchorage. Instead, he postponed assemblage action this week and continued nan trial.

There will beryllium a position proceeding Friday to talk a caller proceedings date. Matthews said he doesn’t want to hold it until adjacent year, but that whitethorn beryllium unavoidable.