The man accused of killing two Hoonah police officers over the weekend fought and resisted arrest in a violent encounter with the same officers last year, court records show.
In that case, officers Anthony Wallace and Matthew Tokuoka drew their guns and ultimately used Tasers to subdue John Marvin Jr., according to a Hoonah police affidavit from the time.
Marvin, 45, spent more than three months in jail following the August arrest, according to the state Department of Corrections.
But he was released in December when the case was dismissed.
The prosecutor assigned to the case declined to say why the charges were dropped, according to The Associated Press.
"Our office is reeling, and I'm not prepared to talk about it," assistant district attorney Amy Williams said. She added that she doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize the new case against Marvin.
Sgt. Anthony Wallace referred to "mental health issues" when describing Marvin in an account of last year's arrest.
Here's what happened, he wrote:
The call began near midnight on Aug. 14, 2009, when a woman told police that Marvin had come into her Front Street home without permission.
The woman called to her husband for help. Marvin -- who looked "frazzled" and "stressed" -- snorted at the other man and left, the affidavit says.
Responding to the call, Wallace and Tokuoka went to Marvin's home and knocked on the door several times.
Marvin eventually stuck his head out and looked at Wallace. "The defendant groaned angrily at Officer Wallace and then slammed the door," the affidavit says.
The police could hear loud banging and other noises inside the home, but Marvin refused to come to the door again.
The officers contacted Jefferson Hankla, who was then Hoonah police chief, because of Marvin's "mental health issues," Wallace wrote. But before the police chief responded, Marvin appeared out of a dark alley. He charged at the officers, the affidavit says.
The police drew their guns. Tokuoka told Marvin to get on the ground and Wallace twice commanded him to stop.
Marvin refused. He grabbed Wallace's vest and tried to take the officer to the ground. An All-American wrestler in college, Wallace wrote that he took Marvin down instead. But the man continued to fight.
Tokuoka tried and failed to stop Marvin with a Taser, the affidavit said. Tokuoka fell to his back and kicked Marvin in the chest as Marvin continued to attack, police wrote.
Wallace subdued Marvin using a Taser and putting him in a thigh lock. Police wrote that Marvin continued to battle as they put him in handcuffs.
Marvin was charged with criminal trespass, fourth-degree assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
A year later, both police officers are dead. They had a chance meeting Saturday night -- that happened to be in front of Marvin's home.
Read The Village, the ADN's blog about rural Alaska, at adn.com/thevillage. Twitter updates: twitter.com/adnvillage. Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334.
By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com