A 58-year-old Haines man was arrested Tuesday at 33 Mile Haines Highway on multiple counts of assault, misconduct involving a weapon and one count of criminal mischief.
According to Department of Public Safety public information officer Megan Peters, Alaska State Troopers and two officers from the Haines Borough Police Department responded to a report of a resident shooting another resident’s vehicle at 7:30 p.m.
Peters’ report said the man argued with three adults and a juvenile on the Klehini River about an ongoing property dispute. The group was repairing a vehicle in the area. The man threatened to shoot the vehicle and its owner during this argument, according to Peters’ report.
The report also said the man shot and blew out one of the vehicle’s tires while the group was standing around the vehicle. He was arrested at 9:40 p.m. and taken into custody at the Haines Jail. He was arraigned on seven charges Wednesday. There is a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 9.
Resident Lillian Harris was at her house during the incident, but she was updated because her son, Robert Harris, owns the 33 Mile Roadhouse.
“It was just a bad situation,” she said. “It could have been bad if the bullet ricocheted.”
Borough manager Bill Seward said he was glad to have temporary Haines Borough Police Chief Glen Klinkhart there for the incident, given Klinkhart’s experience as a police officer in Anchorage.
“I personally believe the department’s involvement prevented a tragedy and it mitigated what could have been a deadly situation,” Seward said.
Chief Klinkhart said he could not comment because the case is under the state troopers’ jurisdiction.