A spokesperson for the Senate Majority caucus has been arrested for a hit-and-run accident in the parking lot of the Anchorage Legislative Information Office.
Press secretary Carolyn Kuckertz, 38, has been charged with three felonies and misdemeanor for allegedly striking two people while drunk. The arrest occurred on Tuesday around 5:30pm.
According to court documents, Kuckertz quickly backed out of a parking spot at the Anchorage LIO and hit 28-year-old Maura Selenak, leaving her on the curb “in extreme pain.” Selenak suffered swelling and bruising to her torso. She was taken to the hospital, and was released with no major injuries. Kuckertz also allegedly struck another woman on the leg. Witnesses say Kuckertz initially stopped, was asked to stay, but then responded, “I can’t.”
The Anchorage Police Department says Kuckertz was later located at Minnesota and Benson, where she was picking up her daughter from daycare. Officers noticed the smell of alcohol, but were unable to complete field sobriety tests because Kuckertz was “swaying and stumbling.” Her blood alcohol level was later tested at .208, more than twice the legal limit.
Kuckertz is currently being held on $10,000 bail. Kuckertz pleaded no contest to a previous DUI in 2010.
A separate member of the Republican majority’s press office confirms that she has been placed on administrative leave without pay.
agutierrez (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.209.1799 | About Alexandra
