Man charged with knifing woman

PALMER -- A Big Lake man has been lodged at Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility on felony assault charges after allegedly attacking his girlfriend with a knife.

David Edward Steuer, 40, was arrested for third-degree assault and on a Texas warrant for criminal non-support.

Alaska State Troopers responded at 1:51 a.m. Saturday to a reported stabbing at a residence near the intersection of Hollywood Road and Halston Avenue. The victim had run to a building across the road to wait for troopers, according to charging documents. She had been cut on her hand and head, and was taken to Valley Hospital for treatment, troopers said.

The woman told troopers she and Steuer were arguing when he shoved her. She fell backward and struck her head, troopers said, and Steuer pushed her to keep her from escaping.

"Steuer then got a knife from the kitchen and held it to his own throat and threatened to kill himself," charging documents said. "Steuer then began waving the knife around and [the woman] received a cut on her hand while attempting to take the knife away from him.

"[The victim] said that she felt that Steuer was trying to force her into the bedroom where he would kill her."

She tried to calm Steuer by saying she loved him so she could get to the door and run, troopers said. That didn't work, so she pushed Steuer and they both fell down the stairs toward the front door, according to troopers. She kicked and hit Steuer until he let go and she was able to get away, troopers said.

Troopers found Steuer at his ex-wife's house. He had two large cuts on top of his head, a bruise around his left eye, and several scratch marks on the front of his neck, troopers said.

"Steuer said that he had gone out to the bar with [the woman] but did not remember anything that happened after they got back to her house," according to charging documents. "He said that he thought he had been hit by someone with a baseball bat but did not know who it was."

Troopers said they found "a large quantity of blood smears" in Steuer's house, and several household items were broken and strewn about.

Third-degree assault is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Steuer was scheduled to appear in Palmer District Court today for a pre-indictment hearing.