Tripp J Crouse, KTOO

While cleaning out the apartment of a recently deceased relative Wednesday, family members found a surprise — a World War II era Japanese hand grenade.

Juneau police were called to the apartment in the 800 block of West 12th Street.

Police Lt. Krag Campbell said JPD notified their bomb disposal unit and asked the military for advice.

“Ultimately, we were given advice that it was safe to move,” Campbell said. “Our explosive ordnance officers removed that device from the location.”

Campbell said he thinks it’s pretty rare to find old war ordnance like this.

“It looks like everything was still in tact and in good condition,” Campbell said. “I have not seen it myself but what I’m told from officers, it looks like it’s a functional grenade.”

Campbell says the bomb disposal officers will explode it at a later date.

Suicide Basin began draining Monday and the city’s emergency program manager said the Mendenhall Lake area could experience some flooding soon.

Tom Mattice said researchers with the University of Alaska and U.S. Geological Survey are in Suicide Basin. They’re reporting that the basin is releasing rapidly.

“They’ve noticed that the plug has been pulled and the drainage is draining quickly,” he said. “The gauges have not come up on the Mendenhall Lake and River gauges yet, but look to see that happen in the next few hours, and probably see a small flood in the next day or so.”

He says that concerned residents can watch lake and river levels on the National Weather Service website. As soon as a new forecast comes in, the levels will be updated.

“It’s hard to know how high the flood will peak, but I look for more models coming from the river forecast center and the university over time,” Mattice said.

National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the area around the lake, which means conditions are favorable for flooding development.

Juneau police arrested a man they were looking for in connection with a stolen vehicle.

According to a Juneau police news release, someone called police Sunday night about a blue Dodge Charger. The caller said the car ran a red light and was swerving.

At about 10:15 p.m., police stopped the vehicle in the area of Taku Boulevard and Riverside Drive.

A passenger in the vehicle — 28 year old Ryan Bradshaw — was arrested on felony charges including assault and vehicle theft stemming from an incident that occurred Saturday, when a citizen reported finding Bradshaw in a stolen vehicle on Mendenhall Boulevard.

Police say that when the citizen confronted him and tried to call police, Bradshaw quickly drove off and struck them in the process. The citizen sustained minor injuries, according to JPD.

Bradshaw was also arrested on warrants relating to previous charges.

One was a $1,000 felony warrant for failure to appear for an arraignment and another was a $250 misdemeanor warrant for violating conditions of his release.

According to online records, Bradshaw is in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

The defense attorney in a federal murder case filed a motion to limit access to the records of who has visited the defendant in prison.

The motion on behalf of Kenneth Manzanares was filed Thursday in Juneau Federal Court. It also would restrict access to any calls and correspondence with him at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

Manzanares is charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 death of his wife Kristy Manzanares aboard a Princess Cruises ship. Because the Emerald Princess was in territorial waters, the case is in the federal system.

The motion says allowing prosecutors to access the records could force the defense to choose between investigating Manzanares’s mental state at the time of the death and keeping the defense strategy confidential.

The trial was pushed back from this fall to allow time to recruit potential expert witnesses. The trial is now scheduled for May 2019.

A 52-year-old Juneau man serving time in Nevada on a federal gun-related charge was sentenced in Alaska’s state court for an unrelated break-in.

Mack Parker was arrested in July 2017 for breaking into the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. He pleaded guilty to felony burglary in December.

Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg sentenced Parker to serve 24 months and pay $300 in court fees and fines.

The Public Defender Agency represented Parker, who appeared by telephone from Nevada.

Parker will get credit for time served. But the judge said it’s unclear whether the credit would go toward his state or federal sentence.

Updated | 4:23 p.m. Wednesday

Family and friends of Brandon Cook described him Wednesday in Juneau Superior Court as a son, a brother, an uncle — and a friend. But in October 2015, he was shot and killed.

On Wednesday, Christopher Strawn was sentenced to a total of 90 years in prison in Cook’s death.

Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg sentenced Christopher Strawn to 88 years for murder — and two years for assaulting Tiffany Johnson.

“Today justice was officially served,” Johnson said.

She was Cook’s friend and saw the shooting.

“I don’t feel like it’s enough. It’s a long time and of course he’s going to be sitting in a jail cell, but he took a life,” Johnson said. “Brandon was one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. He’s not here. I can’t talk to him.”

In October 2015, Strawn, Cook and Johnson were renovating a trailer when Strawn pulled out a gun and fired at Cook, who was 30, from behind.

Strawn then fled, and Johnson hid in the trailer’s back room until police officers arrived.

During the sentencing, Cook’s father, Donald Cook, spoke on behalf of the victim and broke down crying several times.

“The jury never knew about Brandon, you know,” the elder Cook said after proceedings. “He was a good person. Everybody who would meet him loved him.”

Strawn, who represented himself during the hearing, says he was “truly sorry for everybody’s loss.”

Strawn was arrested shortly after the October 2015 shooting at the Kodzoff Acres Trailer Park.

Donald Cook remembers the day police came to his door in Oklahoma to tell him the news.

“I kept hoping it was a bad dream, that I’d wake up and that it’d be a bad dream,” Cook said. “But it never did happen.”

Strawn stood trial — twice.

In February 2017, the first ended in mistrial. During the second trial in October of last year, Strawn ditched his public defender and represented himself, which ended up in a conviction.

Strawn, 34, will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

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Original story | 12:50 p.m. Wednesday

Christopher Strawn has been sentenced to a total of 90 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Brandon Cook.

Strawn was arrested shortly after the October 2015 incident at the Kodzoff Acres Trailer Park. Strawn stood trial twice. The first trial early last year ended in a mistrial. Strawn ditched his public defender and represented himself during a second trial in October, which ended in a conviction.

Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg sentenced Strawn on Wednesday morning to 88 years for murder and two years for assault.

There was no suspended time, but Strawn, 34, will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

The two years for the assault charge is related to Tiffany Johnson, Cook’s friend, who witnessed the shooting. Strawn, Cook and Johnson were renovating the trailer when Strawn pulled out a firearm, believed to be a shotgun, and fired at 30-year-old Cook from behind. He then fled, and Johnson hid in the trailer’s back room until police officers arrived.

During Wednesday’s sentencing, Cook’s father, Donald Cook, spoke on behalf of the victim and broke down crying several times while speaking.

“(Strawn) gets to wake up morning. His life goes on even if he’s in prison. He gets to live.”

Strawn, who represented himself during the hearing, said he was “truly sorry for everybody’s loss.”

This story will be updated.