Winter in Unalaska by Sam Zmolek
Your voice in the Aleutians.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Unalaska Terminates New Fire Chief Charged With Sexual Assault In Illinois

Laura Kraegel/KUCB

The man hired to serve as Unalaska’s new fire chief has been fired after he was charged with sexual assault in Illinois.

David “D.J.” Dunn was scheduled to arrive in Anchorage Monday before starting work on the island next week.

Instead, he was arraigned on felony charges for drugging and sexually assaulting a man who attended his going away party.

As a result of the charges, the City of Unalaska has terminated Dunn’s employment.

City Manager Dave Martinson said the news came as surprise. Dunn had passed the city’s vetting process before he was hired last month.

“Nothing had turned up in any of the background stuff that we do," said Martinson. "We were all shocked. I found out by an email from a reporter out of Illinois.”

Dunn worked as a fire captain and paramedic in Savoy, Illinois, but he also has experience in Unalaska.

When he was hired as fire chief, city officials called Dunn “highly qualified for the position,” citing his part-time work with Guardian Flight, a company that provides emergency medical transportation for the island.

Martinson said Unalaska will resume its search for a new fire chief. The search has lasted about a year.

“While it’s frustrating for us, our concern isn’t for the process we’re going through," he said. "Our concern is for the victim in this case. Hopefully, the victim will be able to overcome this as he proceeds through life.”

Dunn is due in Illinois court again on April 18. He could serve up to 15 years in prison. 

Laura Kraegel reported for KUCB from 2016 until 2020. She was KUCB's news director starting in 2019. We are proud to have her back in the spring of 2023 filling in as an interim reporter for KUCB.
Related Content