No charges from May stabbing

PALMER — A man who admitted he stabbed a Wasilla resident during a May 4 altercation won’t be charged with a crime after a grand jury found he acted in self-defense.

Wasilla resident Josh Kelsey will not face criminal charges following the decision of the grand jury, said Justin Lemoine, the man Kelsey admits to stabbing.

A call to the Palmer District Attorney’s office seeking comment was not returned by press time.

The decision ends months of waiting for 30-year-old Lemoine, who said he has undergone rounds of physical therapy and lost faith in the justice system while waiting for officials to decide if Kelsey should be charged.

Kelsey, who said he stabbed Lemoine during the May roadside incident, has maintained he did so in self-defense.

Alaska State Troopers were called to the corner of Polar Bear and Schrock roads May 4 to investigate a verbal argument that escalated into a stabbing, according to a May 5 troopers report. After questioning witnesses, troopers forwarded their report to the Palmer DA for review.

Since then, the report has been with the DA awaiting a decision.

On the night of the stabbing, Lemoine and Kelsey told a Frontiersman reporter two different stories about how the events played out.

Kelsey said Lemoine became physical while accusing Kelsey of being involved in burglarizing his house. He said he stabbed Lemoine in the chest after Lemoine jumped out of his truck and appeared as if he would harm Kelsey.

Lemoine’s 5-year-old daughter looked on as he was stabbed, the report says.

For his part, Lemoine said he did nothing wrong while questioning the group. He said Kelsey was never in any danger and had no justification for the stabbing.

Lemoine said the grand jury decision worries him because it has the potential to send a message that it’s OK to stab someone who seems intimidating to another person.

Following the incident it became the job of state troopers to sort through various accounts from witnesses, Kelsey and Lemoine before submitting a report to the DA, troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.

On Monday, Lemoine, expressing shock over the decision, maintained his position he did not force Kelsey into acting in self defense.

“I didn’t do anything out-of-line to question some kids in the neighborhood,” Lemoine said.

Kelsey does not have a listed contact number and was unreachable for comment.

Lemoine, who said his life has been turned upside down since he was stabbed, said no one who served on the grand jury can really have a handle on what happened May 4.

“No one knows what really happened there that day except for me and those kids,” he said.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiers-man.com or 352-2252.