Alaska News

Troopers: DUI arrest comes after Big Lake man threatens troopers with kitchen objects

When Alaska State Troopers caught up with a reported drunk driver Friday at his home in Big Lake, he ran inside and threatened officers with unspecified kitchen items, troopers said in an online dispatch.

A black Ford Ranger came to the attention of troopers Friday afternoon after the driver was spotted driving erratically in a neighborhood off Muskrat Street in Big Lake and was reported under the Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately, or REDDI, program. Troopers went to the area and made contact with the driver, identified as Mark Donithan, 54, of Big Lake.

"When troopers attempted to arrest Donithan, he ran into his residence and threatened troopers with multiple objects in his kitchen," the dispatch said.

Troopers said the man was drunk and had driven repeatedly during the day.

He was charged with driving under the influence, refusal to submit to a chemical test, two counts of third-degree assault and resisting arrest.

Donithan was taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility.

Lisa Demer

Lisa Demer was a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Dispatch News. Among her many assignments, she spent three years based in Bethel as the newspaper's western Alaska correspondent. She left the ADN in 2018.

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