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Snowmachiner found guilty of manslaughter in death of Anchorage doctor

February 1st 9:09 pm | Alex DeMarban Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

A Kotzebue jury this evening required about two hours to find Patrick Tickett, 22, guilty of manslaughter in the death of Anchorage pediatrician Roger Gollub on the trail outside of town.

Gollub, who ocassionally traveled to Kotzebue for work, was fulfilling a longheld dream to mush on Nov. 19, 2008, when Tickett, riding on his snowmachine with a friend after consuming dope and alcohol, crashed into the doctor after traveling an estimated 60 mph.

Tracey Schaeffer of Kotzebue had taken Gollub mushing, and said she'd tried to warn away the oncoming snowmachiner by removing her headlamp and flashing it at him on its bright setting.

Tickett, of Ambler, was also found guilty of first-degree felony assault, for severely injuring Schaeffer, and driving under the influence, said Gregg Olson, assistant attorney general.

Tickett's sentencing is set for May 11.

Gollub had been driving the dog-sled team, with Schaeffer in the sled. The crash broke his spine and mangled his leg, according to news accounts. It also tore Schaeffer's diaprhragm and ripped her spleen apart, requiring a weeks-long recovery, said Olson.

In closing arguments today before the jury and Superior Court Judge Ben Esch, Tickett's defense attorney said the case boiled down to whether the headlamp was even on.

Eric Derleth said he presented evidence during the two-week-long trial in Kotzebue which proved that the headlamp was probably broken before the crash. If it was even on, it was set merely to dim.

He said Schaeffer lied about the light because she didn't want to seem at fault. She had no insurance for her dog mushing business and she and Gollub had been in the middle of the trail without reflectors or lights, he said. Gollub wore white too, making him hard to identify against the icy, white background.

Schaeffer could have moved the dog team off the trail in seconds, but didn't, and Tickett isn't to blame for the collision, the defense attorney argued.

"Patrick Tickett comes right up behind him exactly where you expect him to be, right straight in the middle of the trail," said Derleth.

"Not like a drunker driver crossing over the center of the line, he's right in the center of the trail."

The jury had the option of finding Tickett guilty of criminally negligent homicide, a less serious charge than manslaughter, but did not do so, said Olson. Tickett had initially been charged with second-degree murder, but Esch did not find sufficient evidence to sustain that charge.

Tickett, who was traveling to Noorvik with his friend Clarissa Cleveland, acted recklessly, Olson argued today. He had consumed swigs of whiskey, smoked pot and used cocaine before getting on his snowmachine.

He also wore foggy goggles, and should have slowed down and kept an eye out for hazards on the trail, Olson said.

"She's holding this lamp and she says it's on and it's on the bright beams," Olson said. "She said it was on. Why would someone signal with a lamp that didn't work?"

Some reporters were allowed to telephonically listen to the closing arguments, but were disconnected partway through Derleth's argument after the judge said there was too much noise on the line.

Derleth, reached after presenting his argument, said he would not immediately talk about the case.

 

Alex DeMarban can be reached at alex@alaskanewspapers.com, or by phone at (907) 348-2444.

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