A Soldotna man threatened to injure a family member with a gun and barricaded himself in a home early Sunday morning, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Just after midnight on Sunday, troopers say they responded to a disturbance at a Soldotna home. The investigating officer discovered 38-year-old James Sullivan had physically assaulted a family member and threatened to shoot them in the legs. The family member had safely fled the home, but according to charging documents, Sullivan refused to come out of the house or communicate with officers.
Troopers sought a search warrant and called in the Southern Special Emergency Reaction Team, a Soldotna-based response unit that handles high-risk incidents like hostage situations and barricaded individuals. The special response team asked Sullivan to surrender, and eventually forcefully broke the door when he refused, according to charging documents. Troopers subdued Sullivan, arrested him and brought him to Wildwood Correctional Complex.
He is charged with eight counts, including assault in the third and fourth degree, misconduct involving a weapon and coercion. Sullivan was arraigned Monday morning at the Kenai Courthouse, and has another court appearance scheduled for next week.
