Two Alaska State Troopers were injured during an altercation with a suspect who wielded a gun during a traffic stop in Wasilla on Saturday, according to an online trooper dispatch.
Troopers initially pulled over a Dodge Neon, driven by 36-year-old Jessie Klingenberg, in the area of Knik-Goose Bay Road and Clapp Street around 10:45 p.m., the dispatch stated. Klingenberg was allegedly driving with a suspended license and had a warrant for his arrest, so troopers took him into custody.
Klingenberg’s passenger, 31-year-old Jerome Orton, got out of the vehicle and pointed a gun at one of the troopers. Another trooper, standing close to Orton, was able to disarm him, troopers wrote.
“Orton then resisted arrest, resulting in minor injuries to two state troopers,” the dispatch stated.
Orton was charged with third- and fourth-degree assault on a peace officer, fourth- and fifth-degree misconduct involving a weapon, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He is being held under a $25,000 bail at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility.
Klingenberg is also being held at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility, without bail. His arrest is related to charges of first-degree theft, first-degree vehicle theft and fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, troopers said.
