Trooper took Wasilla suspect home hours before wife's death

BIG LAKE, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Department of Public Safety says a Wasilla man charged with killing his wife received a ride home from a state trooper just hours earlier.

Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan said in a statement on the agency’s website Friday that the department is conducting an internal investigation.

Monegan revealed that 38-year-old Anthony Smith, of Wasilla, was the subject of a traffic stop Dec. 31.

Monegan says he successfully completed field sobriety tests and was provided a ride, a practice that is within policy.

Troopers were summoned to the Big Lake home for a disturbance early Monday. They returned three hours later to find 37-year-old Amy Smith unresponsive.

Her death has been ruled a homicide.

Smith is facing a first-degree murder charge. Online court documents do not list his attorney.