A soldier was killed at the main gate at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, on Monday after an alleged drunk driver plowed into them with an SUV late that afternoon, according to local police. The main gate was subsequently shut down.
The soldier has not been identified, pending the notification of the next of kin, an Army spokesperson told Military.com. Brianna Lapp, 31, was arrested and faces charges related to driving under the influence and manslaughter.
Lapp seemingly had no relationship to the installation and allegedly collided with two vehicles and a fence outside the gate; she also had a blood alcohol level of 0.299, more than three times the legal limit, according to a law enforcement spokesperson.
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“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family and all his colleagues and friends on Fort [Wainwright] impacted by this senseless tragedy,” the Fairbanks Police Department said in a statement.
Alaska has the 10th highest prevalence for binge drinking in the country, according to state data. Some of that is attributed to the weather and many places being remote, keeping people at home with less access to activities.
Last year, in an unrelated incident, a soldier at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, Pfc. Andy Ramos, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a drunken-driving collision that killed Pfc. Arath Esau…
