A former village public safety officer in the Southeast Alaska village of Kake was fired from the position following his arrest in late August on a felony domestic violence assault charge.
Austin Brady, 29, remained in custody Monday at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
Alaska State Troopers said they received a report of domestic violence in Kake on Aug. 29 but were unable initially to reach the village by plane due to bad weather. Kake is located on an island roughly 95 miles southwest of Juneau.
Later that day, two troopers from Petersburg responded with a local police officer in the police department’s boat, according to an affidavit written by Trooper Josh Bentz and included with charges. A woman reported Brady strangled her and damaged her home, the affidavit said. Brady was not on duty during the assault, troopers said.
During an interview, Brady also told troopers that during the incident he had a pistol with him while he was intoxicated, according to the affidavit.
He is facing felony second- and third-degree assault charges, and misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and misconduct involving weapons.
The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska terminated Brady’s employment the same day charges were filed, said Raeanne Holmes, a spokeswoman for the council. The council employed Brady, who graduated from law enforcement training in 2022, according to troopers.
Two VPSOs were dispatched to Kake to ensure there were no gaps in public safety services following Brady’s arrest, Holmes said.
Brady’s attorney did not respond to messages left by a reporter.
Brady is one of several law enforcement officials charged with assault in Alaska in the past year. A Soldotna police officer arrested on domestic violence assault charges in July remains on paid leave. The chief of Ketchikan’s police department returned to work last month after a judge dismissed a grand jury indictment on an assault charge. He remains charged with misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree assault and reckless endangerment.