Jail Search Turns Up Two Shivs


Wednesday, February 08 2012
The Unalaska Department of Public Safety has found a contraband weapons left in its jail.
Police made the discovery Saturday, following the transfer of four inmates to other facilities. According to Deputy Chief Mike Holman, the two weapons were crudely made, but still deadly.
“One of them was a pen that had paper wrapped around it that had been moistened. As it dries, it hardens, so it stiffens the pen up. The pen had then been scratched so it had a sharpened edge,” says Holman. “The second one was made with strictly magazine paper.”
Police have video of a prisoner making one of the weapons, but they still don’t know who made the second one. Holman says that they are now in the process of conducting interviews to figure that out, but setting them up has been difficult since some of the inmates are now in an Anchorage facility and one was transferred out of state.
Holman adds that it’s unusual for the Unalaska Department of Public Safety to find homemade weapons in its jails. He can only recall it happening a half dozen times in his 17-year tenure.
While Public Safety is not able to release the name of the suspects at this time, the department is planning on pursuing felony charges in this matter.