Soldotna man arrested Friday after 30-minute police chase

The man had an outstanding warrant for felony probation violation

A Soldotna resident led Alaska State Troopers on a chase for roughly 30 minutes on Friday, they said, when they attempted to serve an arrest warrant.

According to a dispatch from troopers on Saturday, 36-year-old Tanner Geiser had an outstanding warrant for felony probation violation. On Friday, Geiser was driving a motorcycle and when troopers attempted to arrest him, he “failed to stop and led troopers on a lengthy pursuit for about 30 minutes.”

An affidavit by Trooper Marco Fischer says that he was notified by another trooper at around 2 p.m. that Geiser was leaving a home in Happy Valley on a blue motorcycle. Fischer found Geiser driving south toward Homer close to Anchor Point.

When Fischer attempted a traffic stop, Geiser eluded “at a high rate of speed,” the affidavit says. Troopers reported that Geiser was weaving through traffic, passing vehicles on curves and in no-passing zones.

After arriving in Anchor Point, Geiser cut through a parking lot to turn around and travel instead northbound toward Soldotna, according to troopers. He continued in much the same way, the affidavit says, very quickly while weaving through traffic. His top speed was “at least 124 miles per hour.” He traveled all the way back up the Sterling Highway to Ninilchik, where he turned onto Oil Well Road. On that road, he continued until a dead end at a gas plant owned by Hilcorp. There he was arrested around 3 p.m.

Geiser’s outstanding warrant is connected to 2021 charges of disorderly conduct and escape, which he pleaded guilty to last year. Alaska’s court database says that he violated probation in May. He was charged Friday with first-degree eluding and reckless driving.

Geiser is set for a court appearance on July 15. Conditions of release published Saturday say that bail is set at $5,000, but he can’t be released without a third-party custodian. No attorney is listed for Geiser in the database.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

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