From the blotter: Man severely injured in beating by teen

WASILLA — Police say a 17-year-old boy is in jail and a man in the hospital after the boy clubbed him over the head.

According to a police press statement, police were called to a home on Robin Circle at 2:44 a.m. Wednesday. They found Keoloha Torres, 31, of Wasilla, unconscious and bleeding profusely from a blunt-force injury to his head,

Police say they later tracked down the 17-year-old Wasilla boy and arrested him, charging him with multiple felonies for causing Torres’ injuries.

“He beat him over the head, it’s reportedly with a bat but we haven’t recovered the bat yet,” said Deputy Chief Greg Wood of the Wasilla Police Department.

Torres was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, then flown to Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. Police say he had a sever skull fracture.

Asked if the head-wound was the only injury Torres received, Wood replied, “as far as we know right now it’s just his head. That was the most serious life-threatening injury.”

On Friday, Wood said Torres was still in the hospital.

“They checked earlier today and he’s still in intensive care. He’s not regained consciousness at this time. He’s still on a respirator,” Wood said.

Wood said that officers are still trying to determine what led up to the beating.

“We don’t know the exact motive at this time,” he said. “We’ve got several officers working the case still, they’re running down leads and talking to people.”

Road rage gets Wasilla

man assault charge

ANCHORAGE — Police say they jailed a Wasilla man after he got mad at another driver and waved a gun around.

According to an Anchorage Police Department press release, at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday police were called to the Glenn Highway where a driver reported a gray Ford Focus heading into town from Eagle River would not let her pass.

“As she followed him, he raised a handgun and brandished it,” police report.

Byron S. Waggoner, 49, of Wasilla, was jailed in Anchorage for assault with bail set at $5,000.

A moose in the trunk termed ‘suspicious’

POINT MACKENZIE — Alaska State Troopers say a report of a suspicious vehicle landed a Wasilla man a ticket for poaching a moose.

According to a trooper press statement, at 7:46 a.m. Wednesday someone called to say they’d seen a gray Buick with a moose in the back “and looked suspicious.”

Troopers tracked the Buick down at the intersection of the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways and pulled it over.

The driver, Daniel James Edwards, 45, Wasilla, told troopers he’d shot the moose and consented to a search of his trunk, troopers report.

“Troopers discovered a yearling bull calf head and meat in the trunk of the vehicle,” according to the press release.

The moose head and meat were seized as evidence. Edwards was given a court date of Sept. 10.