A father and son are facing charges after allegedly trying to start a fight and evading an Alaska State Trooper pursuit Saturday night.
William J. Tackett, 45, and Lance A. Tackett, 20, arrived at a property on Tote Road in Soldotna on Saturday night in Ford F-150, according to a trooper affidavit filed with the court.
In a 911 call made at about 9:30 p.m., a witness said the F-150 crashed into a wheelbarrow on the property and that William — the elder Tackett — was trying to start a fight with a man on the property, who was armed with a pistol, according to the affidavit.
Troopers arriving on the scene reported seeing the truck heading away from the home. The driver reportedly ignored attempts by the trooper to pull over. While the trooper followed with his lights on, the passenger — later identified as William — flipped off the trooper, according to the affidavit.
William then jumped out of the passenger seat while the truck was still moving and charged the trooper’s patrol car, shouting expletives.
The trooper, who got out of his car and tried to subdue William, reported hitting the man’s legs with an expandable baton six times. A second trooper who arrived on the scene joined the scuffle, and continued to hit William Tackett with a baton, troopers said. The two eventually threw Tackett to the ground, handcuffed him behind his back and pepper sprayed him, according to the affidavit.
Troopers tracked down Lance Tackett at his home, where he told them that his father had drunkenly driven to the Tote Road home because he had an issue with a man over a shed, troopers reported. Lance reportedly admitted he had driven his father away from confrontation and didn’t stop for troopers because his father told him not to. He told troopers he had left his father to fight with the troopers because he didn’t want to see his dad get “beat up.”
Both Lance and William Tackett showed signs of intoxication at the time of their arrest. Several hours after the incident, Lance registered 0.150 breath alcohol level; William a 0.194 percent, according to the affidavit. The legal limit in Alaska for driving is 0.08 percent.
Lance was charged with one count of driving under the influence, a class A misdemeanor; and one count of failing to stop at the direction of a police officer, a class A misdemeanor.
William was charged with one count of driving under the influence, a class A misdemeanor; two counts of fourth-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor; one count of resisting arrest, a class A misdemeanor; and one count of disorderly conduct, a class B misdemeanor.
Reach Erin Thompson at ethompson@peninsulaclarion.com
