Two Alaska State Troopers, Joe Miller (not the former U.S. Senate candidate) and Jason Woodruff, have been charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from a May 24 incident on the Kenai Peninsula.
In an email obtained by the Landmine, Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell told Department of Public Safety Employees, “Over the course of the incident, Miller and Woodruff used levels of force that I and others believed crossed the line and were outside our policy’s (sic) and committed a criminal offense.” Charged against both men were filed today in the Kenai District Court.
In the email, Cockrell stated that Kenai Police and multiple troopers, including Miller and Woodruff, attempted to contact an occupant inside a vehicle on May 24. The vehicle was registered to someone who had a misdemeanor warrant. The occupant remained hidden in the rear of the vehicle for several minutes until troopers spotted him, according to the email. That must have been when Miller and Woodruff got loose.
Cockrell said in the email that it turns out the guy hiding did not have any warrants and was “someone different.”
“The male received severe injuries during his encounter with the two troopers,” Cockrell wrote.
Cockrell said that once he became aware of the situation he ordered the Alaska Bureau of Investigation to conduct a criminal investigation into the use of force. Both troopers were placed on leave. Once the investigation was completed, it was referred to the Office of Special Prosecutions. It was determined that Miller and Woodruff criminally assaulted the adult male. In the email, Cockrell said he watched the body cam footage of the incident.
Cockrell ends the email by saying he understand this is an “extremely difficult moment.”
“The Alaska State Troopers have always held ourselves to the highest standards of conduct and accountability. It is crucial that we pursue justice, even when it is one of our own that violates the law. In the coming days our department will likely face scrutiny from the public and media in ways we have not experienced before. I urge everyone to remain professional and composed during this time as all the facts unfold during this lengthy process. It is important that everyone continues performing your important duties with the dedication and excellence that I know you are all capable of.”
This is a developing story.
I was falsely arrested by one of those kenai cops his name was your yavorski
The judge said I was a threat to society at my bail hearing and I think there needs to be an investigation launched into the troopers on the kenai peninsula as well as the court systems
I’ve heard bad things about the judges as well
I agree. My sister (who since has passed away) had her child custody case down there. We later find out the judge was the uncle to the girl my sidters ex married. My sister didnt stand a chance down there to gain custody bsck. They are really snaky and sneaky. They definitely need to be checked and even monitored. They do everything under the radar. Time to expose them and get them out!!
Yup! I had a SA case that went to kenai court.. turns out judge was a cousin to the man who by all means SA me (medical records prove that and I was a minor at the time) but he was let free with absolutely nothing. My case never stood a chance.
With this level of police violence and the recent officer-involved shootings in Anchorage, I believe the FBI should open a third-party “pattern and practice” investigation into the Anchorage Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers; similar to a 2020-audit of police forces in Minneapolis, MN in response to the George Floyd incident.
Ben Tikka just won Alaska State Treasury’s name your price lottery. There’s no way the State will go to trial once Ben’s attorney serves them with a big ass lawsuit naming the State, DPS, the DPS Commissioner, the top State Trooper director and those troopers individually.
This is not the accountability that it first seems to be. Other reporting suggests that he was largely compliant, was mauled by the dog for over a minute and was kicked by the troopers severely enough to fracture his shoulder. It was so bad that a Kenai police officer attempted to intervene. Afterwards, the troopers perjured themselves to cause the victim to be arrested for assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Despite all this, the prosecutor had declined to charge these alleged violent criminals with a felony. Assault by siccing a dog on the victim and kicking him about the… Read more »
Those troopers should be in jail for acting like criminal thugs, and that slimy Judge needs some justice unleashed on his ass as well. That town is run like a mafia. ACAB.
Imagine being so smarmy you drop a [sic] incorrectly. The apostrophe is possessive. (It was outside the policy’s lines). Is this just a blog?
Well, no, you inserted the word “lines” by yourself – the (sic) was correctly deployed. However, Jeff then hilariously made a mistake of his own just a few words later with “Charged” instead of “Charges”.
It is equally outrageous that these officers were not charged with felony assault. The assault was particularly egregious by what was written here. Looking forward to the release of the body cams.
This assault of an innocent, unarmed civilian perpetuated using dangerous weapons is a Class A or Class B assault by statue. The charges should be refiled.
Edit: By not charging these two with felony assault, this level of prolonged assault with a lethal weapon will be considered a misdemeanor for all Alaska violent actors.
If you watch the press conference it was explained why the assault could not rise to level of Felony. While agree that it probably does not rise to felony as written in statue because a lethal weapon was not used and the injuries are not severe enough, I believe that a discussion of statue change is in order. Perhaps “committing an assault under color of law” should be a factor that increases the crime from misdemeanor to felony. I’m anything but anti-cop but in my mind, the badges these two were wearing makes the attack far more egregious than if… Read more »
The attack dog is clearly a lethal weapon and am sure there are cases where releasing an attack dog and telling the dog to attack is a felony assault.
-Edit
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is a pit bull a lethal weapon