On Thursday, Aug. 15, Wrangell police officers detained William Nakamura, 43, after he assaulted two officers and violently resisted arrest. The following day, Nakamura pleaded not guilty in state court to three charges of third-degree assault, two charges of fourth-degree assault, two charges of harassment and one charge of resisting arrest.
The court set Nakamura’s bail at $25,000, and he will likely be held at the state Department of Corrections facility in Ketchikan, with his next court appearance scheduled for Aug. 26, according to Police Chief Gene Meek.
Officers first received complaints of a disturbance at the Stikine Inn at 7:20 p.m. Aug. 15, according to the Wrangell Police Department. Two officers responded and located Nakamura outside J&W’s five minutes after the initial call. They informed him of two outstanding warrants for his arrest on Washington state charges. Police called for backup after Nakamura “violently resisted arrest,” the department said in a prepared statement.
By the time police were able to subdue and detain Nakamura, the entire Wrangell Police Department was on the scene, except for one officer who was on vacation, Meek said.
According to police, Nakamura bit one officer, kicked another and attempted to remove a firearm from an officer’s holster. Both Nakamura and the officer he bit were taken to the hospital for treatment. Both were later released.
Nakamura faces an extradition hearing on the warrants from Washington state. After an assault with a deadly weapon charge in 2021, he was ordered to remain in a halfway house in Washington. His return to Wrangell violated the court order and resulted in subsequent escape charge.
The state of Alaska will prosecute Nakamura and then the Washington charges will be dealt with afterward, Meek explained.
Reader Comments(0)