The trial for two Alaska State Troopers indicted on felony assault charges for their alleged conduct during a May arrest in Kenai was on Wednesday pushed back to 2026 after defense lawyers and prosecutors asked for more time to collect evidence. The change comes four months after a judge set a “date-certain” trial for June.
Both Joseph Miller Jr., 50, and Jason Woodruff, 43, are accused of assaulting Ben Tikka, 38, whom they approached while trying to arrest his cousin early on May 24, 2024, according to a complaint by the state attorney general filed in the Third Judicial District at Kenai on Aug. 14.
The complaint says that the two troopers, while trying to arrest Tikka’s cousin, allowed a police dog to repeatedly bite Tikka and kicked him in the head and other parts of the body. The complaint says Tikka was hospitalized with several broken bones, lacerations and open wounds. A Kenai grand jury on Oct. 30 returned an indictment for both troopers with a single count each of felony first-degree assault.
At a status hearing on Wednesday, attorneys for the two men and a prosecutor from the state all asked for a delay in the trial to allow for more discovery. They asked for a status hearing in August before “we are hopeful that we can get this to trial in February of 2026.”
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews said he was “willing” to allow the delay, but asked the three to come to the status hearing in August with the ability to set a “realistic” trial date.
The status hearing was set for Aug. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Kenai Courthouse.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
