Soldotna Police Department officer David Bower, a cop of 25 years, was arrested July 19 on a fourth-degree domestic violence assault charge.
According to an affidavit, Alaska State Troopers received a call from a family member of Bower’s, who reported that he had assaulted her. She described an argument in which he charged at her, she slapped him in the face, and he threw her to the ground, where she hit her head on the floor. In conversations with troopers, Bower described himself as an alcoholic, and said he was drunk when the incident occurred.
The affidavit says there were two 2019 instances where children in the Bower home called 911 to report domestic abuse, although neither led to the filing of any charges. According to the affidavit, 911 center logs show the children reported Bower being violent toward household members and police responded, but left without logging it as an incident. In a later call, a child again reported domestic abuse by Bower, and said they didn’t feel safe. Again, no charges were filed.
Investigators interviewed Bower and other members of his household in July, and concluded based on prior incidents and the severity of injuries that Bower had assaulted the younger family member, and caused her injury. He was arrested and brought to Wildwood pretrial facility.
Bower has been placed on administrative leave, per Soldotna PD policy, according to Soldotna City Manager Janette Bower, no relation. She said he’ll remain on leave until the completion of a trooper investigation and an internal city investigation. She noted that the charges are accusations, and Bower is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
In April, Bower was publicly celebrated for his life-saving efforts, and was given the “Lifesaver Award” during a Soldotna City Council meeting.
Bower has a bail hearing scheduled for Aug. 8, and a pretrial hearing Aug. 17. His attorney was not immediately available for comment.
