One man died following an Oct. 8 SUV accident, Cordova Police Department reports. The driver, 50-year-old Jesse James Jones of Cordova, has been charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, driving under the influence, and misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree. Andrey Plisko, the vehicle’s only passenger, was unresponsive at the scene and later pronounced dead.
Skid marks indicated the 1986 Chevrolet Blazer driven by Jones slid across the road while turning a corner on Power Creek Road, according to court documents. The SUV apparently then overcorrected, entering nearby Eyak Lake backward and rolling over. The accident occurred around 4:30 p.m. confirmed Police Chief Mike Hicks.
Plisko and Jones were removed from the upside-down vehicle and transported to Cordova Community Medical Center. Jones was uninjured.
Jones told Officer Nathan Taylor that he and Plisko had been shooting a shotgun near the end of Power Creek Road and were returning to town when the accident occurred, according to court documents. Jones told police he drank two beers while out shooting.
Breath alcohol tests indicated Jones had a blood alcohol content of 0.177, more than twice the legal limit.
A Mossburg 12-gauge shotgun was retrieved from Jones’s SUV by Hicks, according to court documents. A charge of misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree can cover possession of a firearm inside a vehicle by a person impaired by alcohol.
Jones was indicted at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Bail was set at $10,000 cash. If released on bail, Jones will be forbidden to leave Alaska, to consume alcohol or to contact Plisko’s family.
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3 and trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 9. Jones has been appointed a public defender.
