Crime & Courts

Track Palin faces domestic violence charges in incident at Sarah Palin's Wasilla home

Sarah Palin's son Track Palin, 26, is facing charges after getting into a drunken altercation with a woman outside the former Alaska governor's home in Wasilla Monday night, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

The charges -- one count each of fourth-degree domestic violence assault, interfering with a report of domestic violence and fourth-degree weapons misconduct -- were reported by the Wasilla Police Department on Tuesday, the same day that Sarah Palin endorsed GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

According to an affidavit filed in the case by Wasilla police officer Andrew Kappler, a woman called 911 just after 10 p.m. Monday to report a man had just "punched her in the face and that a firearm was involved." Around the same time, a man identifying himself as Track Palin called 911 and said the woman was drunk.

Less than 10 minutes later, police arrived at a home along Lake Lucille on the West Parks Highway, where they found Track Palin walking around outside, the affidavit says.

"I observed the male had a visible injury to his right eye and the area around his eye," Kappler said. "His eyes were bloodshot and I detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and person. Upon contacting Palin, he was uncooperative, belligerent, and evasive with my initial line of questions."

According to the affidavit, Palin claimed to not know where the woman was and denied the involvement of a gun, although he did tell detectives there were firearms in the house.

"Due to Palin's escalating hostility, the unknown whereabouts of the 911 caller, and officer safety, Palin was placed into handcuffs," Kappler wrote.

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The woman was later found hiding and crying under a bed inside. Palin told police he and the woman had been arguing over her communication with an ex-boyfriend.

"This angered Palin," the affidavit says. "He stated that they had been arguing for most of the night."

According to the affidavit, Palin told detectives the two had gone to dinner, then to his sister's house and later to a piece of property he was considering buying. There, he said, they began to argue again. Palin accused the woman of driving drunk back to his sister's house, leaving him to walk back from the property.

The affidavit said the two later drove back to Palin's parents' house and continued to argue. Palin told police they argued verbally and that the woman "threw a 'bow," meaning an elbow, and that was how his face was injured.

The woman also said the two had been arguing for the better part of the night, and in the driveway of the Palin family home.

"(She) told Palin that she had called the cops even though she had not, in attempt to calm him down and to scare him away from 'touching her,'" the affidavit said. "Palin approached (her) and struck her on the left side of her face with a closed fist."

The woman then told police she fell to the ground in the fetal position and Palin kicked her in her knee before picking up her phone and throwing it.

According to the affidavit, the woman grabbed her phone and went inside, where she said she found Palin holding a gun with the barrel pointed near his face and saying, "Do you think I won't do it?"

"(The woman) was concerned that he would shoot himself and ran outside and around the house," Kappler wrote. She eventually hid under the bed, where she was discovered by police.

The woman said she tried to call 911 and one of Palin's sisters several times, but believed her phone was damaged when it was thrown. She was eventually able to call out using the speakerphone.

Police later found an unloaded AR-15 on the kitchen counter. Palin had a blood-alcohol level of .189 based on a breath test, the affidavit said. The woman had a bruised and swollen left eye, as well as a "small red area" near her knee, where she said Palin kicked her. Police took photographs of the trauma to Palin's face.

Wasilla police investigator Dan Bennett said Tuesday afternoon that the department had no further comment on Track Palin's arrest.

Palin was taken to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility and arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

Palin family attorney John Tiemessen did not return messages from Alaska Dispatch News on Tuesday. However, the Associated Press reported that he replied to their request for a comment by asking for privacy "as Track receives the help that he and many of our returning veterans need."

Palin was deployed to Iraq for one year with the Army, the AP reported.

Megan Edge

Megan Edge is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News.

Chris Klint

Chris Klint is a former ADN reporter who covered breaking news.

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