A 44-year-old Sterling man was arrested by a SWAT team at his home Tuesday, after he allegedly assaulted and threatened multiple people.
Per an affidavit by Alaska State Troopers, they responded Tuesday night around 9 p.m. to reports that Robbie Diehl was intoxicated “and acting crazy.” When troopers arrived, the people in the house had fled outside, and were met by officers in the road. They reported several bruises and lacerations inflicted by Diehl, according to the affidavit.
Troopers contacted Diehl, who emerged from the home multiple times, the affidavit says. Troopers reported that he was “belligerent,” seemingly intoxicated, and challenged troopers to shoot and fight him. He had blood on his face and chest. He threatened to grab a gun and shoot the responding officers, according to the affidavit.
The three troopers all deployed tasers to try to subdue Diehl, the affidavit says, who ran back into the home. He “continued the cycle of coming outside, threatening to sneak up on us and shoot us, and returning inside,” troopers wrote in the affidavit. The Southern SWAT team was deployed and, when attempts to contact Diehl failed, the affidavit says, they breached the front door and found the man unconscious in his bedroom. After being arrested, “he continued his belligerence and struggling, yelling and kicking at the back of an AST patrol car,” troopers wrote in the affidavit.
Blood was found throughout the home, and a rifle and a plastic mace with blood on it was recovered, the affidavit says. The people who fled the home told troopers Diehl’s outburst began when he was questioned about a text message he received. That’s when he began to threaten and assault them, per the affidavit.
Diehl had also been arrested the previous day, on a charge of disorderly conduct. A separate affidavit says he attempted to start a fight at Buckets Sports Grill in Soldotna. He was on conditions of release on Tuesday when he was arrested in Sterling.
The affidavit describing Tuesday’s arrest says that Diehl was charged with two counts each of third- and fourth-degree domestic violence assault, assault in the presence of a child, third-degree criminal mischief, three counts of third-degree assault on a police officer, fourth-degree misconduct involving weapons and violation of conditions of release.
At an arraignment on Wednesday, Diehl said he will hire an attorney. No attorney was identified in court information as of Thursday evening. Bail was set at $125,000 cash, and a third-party custodian would be required.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
