Man sentenced in assault of trooper, siblings

March 14, 2006

MARY AMES/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - A highly intoxicated man who assaulted a Caswell Lakes brother and sister and then pointed a rifle at an Alaska State Trooper in September was sentenced in Palmer Superior Court on Monday.

Donald Hodge, 47, was convicted by a jury in December of two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of fourth-degree misconduct involving weapons.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 24, Hodge pushed his way into Martha Goff's cabin, knocked her down, threatened her brother, Gregory Goff, and, after three troopers arrived at the cabin, took a shooter's stance in the road and pointed a Ruger 10-22 at Sgt. James Helgoe's patrol car.

Helgoe, who has since been promoted to lieutenant, told the jury he braked, opened the car door, grabbed his rifle and crouched behind the door in a matter of seconds, telling Hodge to put down his rifle and to get on the ground.

Helgoe held his fire, and said he was focused, not scared, as he shouted three to five times for Hodge to get down.

Although Hodge claimed through most of his trial that he had not been drinking, his blood alcohol registered .47 - nearly six times the .08 legal limit - about six hours after his arrest.

Chadwick McGrady, Hodge's attorney for the trial and subsequent bail hearings, withdrew as council earlier this month, and Hodge represented himself at sentencing.

After reading a three-page letter Hodge submitted to the court, Suzanne Powell, assistant district attorney, expressed her concerns.

&#8220His statement basically accuses the troopers of blackmailing him,” Powell said. &#8220He's saying they made this up, even after a trial. He's still not acknowledging what really went on. Lt. Helgoe could have shot Mr. Hodge, and I don't know, given his medical condition, if he would try to get a trooper to shoot him.”

Hodge has hepatitis C, according to court testimony, and he told the court he just wants to get out of jail to see his doctors.

&#8220I ain't feeling too good,” Hodge said. &#8220I didn't point a gun at him. I apologized. I'm as sorry as I can be, ma'am. There's no way in the world I would intend to do that.”

Judge Cutler said that an intoxicated person isn't the best historian, but Hodge did deserve some consideration for having a virtually clean record until well into middle age.

&#8220You may be delusional, grandiose and somewhat narcissistic,” Cutler said. &#8220As far as you having a lowered life span, the actions of a desperate person who may feel he has nothing to lose is very dangerous to others. The state knows that every five or six years an officer is killed. How much risk should the state take when we've seen this kind of acting out?”

Judge Cutler sentenced Hodge, who has been in custody since his arrest, to one year and 10 days to serve, with 21 months suspended time and five years' probation, no contact with Helgoe and no contact with the Goffs unless they submit a written letter giving him permission to do so.

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.