The driver who flipped his car on a downtown street in January is facing a felony assault charge, according to an indictment released last week.
Collin M. Thomas, 28, was indicted for third-degree assault and driving under the influence. On the night of Jan. 18, JPD responded to the report of a car having rolled over in the 100 block of Seward Street, according to the police report.
No arrests were made at the time because the driver, identified as Thomas, was in need of medical attention and toxicology tests had to wait, Lt. Krag Campbell said at the time. Thomas and his passenger were taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said at the time.
JPD Officer Brent Bartlett got a warrant for Thomas’ blood, which was sent to the Alaska State Crime Lab for testing. That test showed that Thomas’ blood-alcohol content was 0.345 percent, according to charging documents. That’s more than four times the legal limit (0.08 percent).
Thomas was charged with third-degree assault for injuring his passenger with a dangerous instrument (a car in this case), the indictment states. Third-degree assault is a class C felony, and DUI is a class A misdemeanor.
Juneau grand juries handed down a variety of other indictments in the past two weeks.
• A 42-year-old man was indicted on one count of second-degree assault for a domestic assault and one count of interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime. The indictment alleges the man used his hands or forearms and a fingernail clipper to injure another person.
The assault happened at a downtown hotel, JPD Officer Alexander Smith wrote in a report that was included in the charging documents. When they talked to the 50-year-old victim over the phone, Smith wrote, she sounded fine. When officers arrived they found the victim with a cut on her neck. The cut wasn’t bleeding or severe, Smith wrote.
In talking with the victim, the officers learned that the 42-year-old man had held her down and put his weight on her chest so she couldn’t breathe, according to charging documents. Then he started to cut her neck with fingernail clippers, she told police. She said she thought she was going to die, according to Smith’s report. The victim also told them that when she talked to them over the phone earlier, she hadn’t sounded worried because the man told her not to tell the police she was in danger.
Second-degree assault is a class B felony and interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime is a class A misdemeanor.
• Randal J. Benc, 33, and Jacqueline R. Morris, 38, were indicted for two counts of second-degree drug misconduct. Benc was also indicted for two counts of third-degree weapons misconduct. On Nov. 13, the two of them were found with a gram or more of heroin and 2.5 grams or more of cocaine, the indictment states. Benc was also found to be in possession of a firearm, according to the indictment, which is illegal because Benc has a former felony conviction. According to electronic court records, Benc was found guilty of fourth-degree drug misconduct in 2009. The drug charges are class B felonies and the weapons charges are class C felonies.
• Dillinger J. Graham, 37, was indicted on two counts of second-degree drug misconduct. The indictment alleges that on Nov. 10 in Juneau, Graham had 2.5 grams or more of methamphetamine and one gram or more of heroin. There were three search warrants listed on the indictment, all from Anchorage. Both charges are class B felonies.
• John Alan Langreder, 25, was indicted for two counts of second-degree forgery. On Nov. 5, employees at Fred Meyer reported that Langreder was trying to cash a stolen check, according to a Juneau Police Department press release at the time. Officers caught up with Langreder at a nearby bus stop and found that he had two stolen checks on him. Police traced the checks back to an Oct. 12 report from a 74-year-old woman that her checkbook had been stolen. Langreder also had two $50 warrants out for failing to appear in court for unrelated charges, the JPD release stated. Second-degree forgery is a class C felony.
• Dustin D. McCurdy, 33, was indicted on one count of first-degree vehicle theft. The crime was dated Nov. 6, according to the indictment, and first-degree vehicle theft is a class C felony.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
