FROM THE BLOTTER: Troopers report boy shot accidentally

BUTTE — Alaska State Troopers say a teenage boy didn’t know the gun was loaded when he accidentally shot another boy.

The bullet hit the boy in the arm, according to troopers. He was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Troopers were called to the scene of the shooting at 6:48 p.m. Wednesday. Four boys, each between 13 and 15 years old, were at the home near the intersection of Republican Way and Old Glenn Highway.

“One of the juveniles picked up a firearm not realizing that it was loaded and fired off a shot,” troopers reported.

No names were released in the press release. Troopers generally decline to identify children under the age of 18.

Runaway back at home

WASILLA — If you’re still keeping your eyes peeled for a teenage girl who ran away from home a couple weeks ago, you can stand down.

Darcy Straub, 15, missing since June 18, is safe and sound and back at home, according to an e-mail her mother, Diana Straub, sent early Wednesday morning.

“My daughter has been extracted from the home of a friend and is safe and sound,” Straub said in the e-mail. “The Wasilla Police Department did an amazing job. … They used every tool they had and maneuvered with unbelievable precision. I am so proud of my police department.”

She also thanked everyone who lent a hand in efforts to find her daughter.

Wasilla Police Department spokesman Rick Manrique said that officers spent a significant amount of time and effort tracking down the younger Straub. There were a couple of officers on scene that night, one covering the front door, one covering the back.

“We don’t generally chase kids,” Manrique said. Kids often don’t think straight, especially when emotions are high, and can do something dangerous if running from police. Having someone at both exits to the home keeps the likelihood of a chase low.

He said the girl was relatively cooperative, but the people she was staying with were not.

“It’s yet to be determined if they’re going to be charged or not,” he said, referring to a law that says it’s illegal to knowingly harbor a runaway.

—Andrew Wellner