Alaska residents plead guilty to disrupting Kenai fur trapper

Two Soldotna residents, Laura McIndoe and Trafford Evanoff, have pleaded guilty in federal court to disrupting a legal fur trapping line within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

The incident occurred in February 2025 after McIndoe’s dog became caught in a permitted foothold trap. According to a Fish and Wildlife Service officer's affidavit, McIndoe confronted the trapper with verbal threats, and subsequent actions resulted in the destruction of two other traps and the loss of the trap containing the dog.

While conflicts between dog walkers and trappers are common in Alaska, the pair abandoned their legal challenge to the citations shortly before their scheduled trial in August, agreeing instead to pay small fines to settle the matter.