Alaska Department Of Public Safety,State Troopers Public Information Office

Location: Fairbanks

Type: Vehicle Theft 1 / Fail to Stop / Parole Violation / Assault 3 / Reckless Endangerment / DUI

Dispatch Text:

On April 12, 2025, Alaska State Troopers received a report of a stolen vehicle. The caller reported that he had picked up an unknown woman in Fairbanks near the Safeway off Old Steese Highway. The woman, later identified as 28-year-old Melissa Demit, remained in the Ford F-150 when the caller stopped at a gas station off Geist Road. When he returned outside, he reported that his truck was gone. A Trooper spotted the vehicle nearby and initiated a traffic stop as it entered the Mitchell Expressway. Demit refused to stop and led Troopers on a high-speed pursuit, frequently driving toward oncoming traffic on the Parks Highway. She eventually struck a snow berm while attempting to turn onto the Old Nenana Highway. A Trooper pinned and pushed the vehicle, preventing further flight. A male passenger exited the vehicle and complied with Troopers’ commands. A Trooper deployed a Taser on Demit, making contact. She was transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Demit was on parole for first-degree vehicle theft and had absconded after being placed at a halfway house. She was charged with first-degree vehicle theft, first-degree failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer, DUI, reckless endangerment, third-degree assault, and a parole violation.