AL SHARPNACK ARREST

COURTHOUSE--A May 14 trial has been set in the case against Valdez
resident Al Sharpnack, accused of having a marijuana grow in his mobile
home at the South Central mobile home park.

The case is unusual in that the 49-year old Sharpnack is licensed by the
State of Alaska as a primary caregiver entitled to grow marijuana for
himself and two friends who are also state-licensed to use medical
marijuana.

But only Sharpnack has been charged despite the fact that his partner,
42-year old John Pipken, appeared in court Thursday to demand the return
of his six marijuana plants and two grow lights.

The Sharpnack case has its beginnings in a police raid at his mobile
home on Dec. 27 shortly after 10 o'clock at night. That's when probation
officer Doug Webb showed up to conduct a home visit at the home of
Belinda Wallace, Sharpnack's girlfriend.

Accompanying the probation officer was police officer Kalin King.
According to the police report, Webb conducted a search of the mobile
home and found 19 marijuana plants of various sizes under grow lights,
three zip-lock baggies with marijuana in the freezer and a tray of
marijuana leaves in the living room.

"All of which is a violation of Wallace's probation," the police report
said.

According to the report, "Sharpnack stated that the marijuana was his
personal grow used to supply Wallace. Wallace has a medical marijuana
permit in which Sharpnack is listed as the primary caregiver," the
report stated.

Nevertheless, Sharpnack was arrested for possession of a controlled
substance in the fifth degree, a felony.

The owner of the former Oscars On The Waterfront, Sharpnack is a chef
and was on the North Slope Thursday and did not appear in court for the
trial setting. His attorney, Bill Bixby, appeared on his behalf.

Bixby declined to discuss the case with The Star.

Also in court was Pipken, longtime Valdez resident, who rose from the
public gallery to inject himself into the case and defend his friend
Sharpnack.

"I'm involved in this too," he told Judge Joel Bolger. "Two of those
(grow) lights and six of those plants are mine," declared Pipken.

Like Sharpnack and Ms. Wallace, Pipken is state-licensed to use
marijuana for medical purposes.

A commercial fisherman, Pipken also objected to the May 14 trial date
which coincides with the first opening on the Copper River Flats. "May
14 is when the fishing starts," Pipken told the judge.

But Judge Bolger was unmoved. "Take it up with Mr. Sharpnack or Mr.
Bixby. I'm not going to get into this," he told Pipken.