Alaska State Troopers released more details on the Friday shooting of a Village Police Officer in the Western village of Buckland by a man attempting to import alcohol to the dry community by boat.
Village Police Officer (VPO) Lorin B. Geary, 48, was shot by Buckland resident Gary A. Ballot, who had docked at the village with the illicit cargo on Friday. Troopers reported Saturday that Ballot had arrived in Buckland with 7.5 liters of distilled spirits, around 19 gallons of malt beverage and 5.25 liters of wine onboard his boat.
Ballot is being held at the Kotzebue Regional Jail. His bail was set at $250,000 on Saturday, and he now faces a host of new charges. In all, he is being charged with 1st degree Attempted Murder of a VPO, 1st degree Assault, five counts of 3rd degree Assault, Felony Alcohol Importation, two counts of Misdemeanor Alcohol Importation, 4th degree Misconduct Involving Weapons, and two counts of Resisting Arrest.
Troopers believe the alcohol came from the Kotzebue area, "but we're still trying to determine exactly where it came from, as well as what his intentions were," whether the alcohol was for personal use or for potential distribution, DeSpain said.
Buckland is a predominantly Iñupiat Eskimo village of 416 located on the west bank of the Buckland River, about 75 miles southeast of Kotzebue. In 1982, Buckland voted to make itself a local-option community and ban the importation of alcohol. State law allows communities to restrict alcohol sales through local election.
Kotzebue, a much larger community and the closest thing to an urban center near Buckland, is a "damp" village; all alcohol coming through Kotzebue has to go through the city-owned liquor store and distribution center.
Geary and a second VPO reportedly received an anonymous tip that Ballot would be bringing alcohol in on his boat on Friday. The two went to the beach along the shore of the village to meet Ballot as he arrived.
Details surrounding the shooting are still under investigation, but DeSpain said that right before Ballot fired, "[Geary] was letting him know that he was going to take the alcohol from [Ballot] and that he couldn't keep the alcohol." Ballot proceeded to shoot Geary with a rifle.
Several people heard the incident and came to the Geary's aid, troopers reported. Ballot's rifle was taken from him, and he taken into custody. Ballot sustained an undisclosed injury while being taken into custody, and he was transported to Kotzebue for treatment. Details surrounding the witnesses' role in subduing Ballot are still under investigation.
Geary was taken to a local clinic before being medevaced to the Alaska Native Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Updates on Geary's condition were not available on Sunday, but Troopers said Friday that they believed his injuries were not life threatening. DeSpain said only that Geary's injuries are "pretty significant."
Troopers are still conducting interviews with Ballot, who remains at the Kotzebue jail. "I definitely would not say he's cooperating," DeSpain said.
Ballot was busted for attempted importation in 1991, according to online court records. He pled no contest to the charge. The suspect also has multiple other charges for which he pled no contest, including first-degree burglary and first-degree trespass in 1993 and 1998, according to court records.
Alaska's criminal justice professionals recognize alcohol as the primary substance of abuse in the state, according to troopers' annual drug report. More than 100 communities have voted in favor of prohibiting alcohol in some manner. But booze remains legal in many areas, so illegal bootlegging activities continue to affect local-option communities. Alcohol is frequently transported to villages by local air carriers, private aircraft, boats, snowmachines and express mailing services.
Contact Laurel Andrews at laurel(at)alaskadispatch.com