Alaska authorities accused of delaying arrest of woman connected to Sarah Palin

London, Jan 7 (ANI): A drug investigator has laid claims that Alaskan authorities delayed the arrest of a woman, who was connected to Governor Sarah Palin, until after the November election was over.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, the drug investigator revealed that the arrest of Sherry Johnston, who happens to be the mother of Levi Johnston, who is engaged to Palin's daughter, Bristol, had been put on hold due to political reasons.

Palin was at that time running for the Republican vice-presidential post.

Johnston, 42, was arrested on December 18, and on January 5 she pleaded not guilty to six counts of possessing and selling OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller.

As per reports, Kyle Young, a drug investigator and state trooper, had written to the Public Safety Employees Association last week to say a search warrant for Johnston's house had been delayed.

"It was not allowed to progress in a normal fashion, the search warrant WAS delayed because of the pending election and the Mat Su Drug Unit (a regional drug enforcement team) and the case officer were not the ones calling the shots," the Telegraph quoted Young as having written in the message sent on December 30.

The warrant was delivered on the same day Johnston was arrested, and Joe Masters, the Public Safety Commissioner, insists that the case had been handled fairly.

Masters also said that no one in the Governor's office had known that troopers were investigating Johnston until after her house was searched, and that it was only then that he called Palin's chief of staff to warn him of the potential media firestorm the investigation could prompt.

It was only then that Masters called Palin's chief of staff to warn him of the potential media firestorm the investigation could prompt, he said.

Rob Cox, the union president, said that the allegation stemmed from a misunderstanding between investigators and public safety officials, adding that the warrant against Johnston would never have been ready to serve before the election. (ANI)