Alaska News

Troopers: Alakanuk man hit brother-in-law with ax after drinking homebrew

An Alakanuk man was arrested Friday after Alaska State Troopers say he hit his brother-in-law in the head with an ax.

Troopers in the Yukon River village of Emmonak received a report of an assault in Alakanuk, about 8 miles away, at 1:38 p.m. Friday.

The alleged victim said he and his brother-in-law, identified as Simon Kokrine, 25, of Alakanuk, were drinking early Friday morning when an argument turned violent.

At about 5:30 a.m., after consuming "approximately two gallons of homebrew" the two fought, troopers wrote in a dispatch published online Sunday.

"It is unknown what the argument was about," troopers wrote. "But Simon picked up an ax and hit the victim in the head," leaving a 2-inch laceration.

Kokrine was arrested and is waiting to be arraigned on a charge of second-degree assault. Kokrine's brother-in-law was transported to Bethel for treatment of his injury.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers on the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

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