A Nikiski man is facing seven charges related to weapons and assault after allegedly firing a pistol during a confrontation on someone else’s property.
Jeremy Bichler, 37, allegedly entered a stranger’s property on Opal Street in the Nikiski area around 12:51 a.m. Thursday, according to a trooper dispatch. The residents said Bichler had walked into their yard and when they came out, he cursed at them and walked away. Bichler allegedly returned a few minutes later with a four-wheeler and a pistol, which he fired into the air after one of the residents picked up a gun and chambered a round but did not fire, according to an affidavit filed with the Kenai court by Alaska State Trooper John King.
“(The residents) rated their fear as an ‘8’ on the fear scale that they were about to be seriously harmed when Bichler fired his gun,” the affidavit states.
Bichler was still in the driveway with his four-wheeler when troopers arrived, King wrote. He “had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage about his person, bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech, swaying balance and frequently repeated words or phrases,” the affidavit states.
He allegedly admitted to having used alcohol and marijuana that night and a breath sample taken at approximately 2:27 a.m. showed that his blood alcohol content was .192, according to the affidavit. When asked, he allegedly rated his impairment as a “7” on a scale of 1–10, according to the affidavit.
Bichler is charged with one count of misconduct involving weapons in the second degree, a class B felony; one count of misconduct involving weapons in the third degree, a class C felony; two counts of assault in the third degree, a class c felony; two counts of misconduct involving weapons in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor; and one count of driving under the influence, a class A misdemeanor. He was arraigned Friday at the Kenai Courthouse.
Reach Elizabeth Earl at eearl@peninsulaclarion.com.
