In court, Arvin Kangas pleaded “Guilty” to a consolidated charge of Assault IV, and in exchange, received a sentence of 30 days in jail. Although Kangas has been in jail since May, he will remain in custody on four counts of Evidence Tampering and four counts of Hindering Prosecution. The trial date on those charges is set for mid-April...
On April 30, Tanana’s VPSO, Mark Haglin was called to a residence in the community because of a dispute over a couch. It was alleged that Kangas had sold the couch to a resident there and had failed to get paid for it and so threatened to remove the piece of furniture...
When going to the Kangas home later, Kangas was on the porch with a firearm. According to records, Kangas pointed the firearm in a threatening manner while looking at Haglin. Haglin would report that encounter to troopers in Fairbanks, and the next day, Troopers Johnson and Rich would respond. Johnson and Rich were shot and killed when attempting to arrest Kangas on the charges. They were shot by Arvin Kangas' son, Nathaniel Kangas.