Municipality of Anchorage v. Beezley

Judge MANNHEIMER.

The defendant in this case, Wayne Edward Beezley, stands accused of the Anchorage municipal offense of reckless driving. Under the Anchorage Municipal Code, a person convicted of reckless driving may be imprisoned for up to 1 year. This 1-year maximum penalty was established at a time when the maximum penalty provided for class A misdemeanors under state law was also 1 year's imprisonment. See the pre-2016 version of AS 12.55.135(a).

But in 2016, the Alaska legislature modified AS 12.55.135(a) so that not all class A misdemeanor offenders are subject to the 1-year maximum…