Standoff south of Palmer

PALMER -- An argument over a barking dog escalated into an incident in which shots were allegedly fired and an armed man reportedly stayed holed-up in a house surrounded by Alaska State Troopers for about six hours Thursday morning.

Troopers arrested Daniel Stephan, 48, of Palmer, after he surrendered at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday, according to trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson. Stephan was booked into Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility and charged with third-degree assault and reckless endangerment, Wilkinson said.

"The good news on this one is that it ended safely and no one was injured. That's the way these things are supposed to end," Wilkinson said.

Troopers were called to Stephan's neighborhood near Mile 37 Glenn Hwy. south of Palmer at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Stephan and a neighbor, Gerald Poirier, 70, had been in an argument that escalated until Poirier called troopers for help, according to Wilkinson.

"Apparently Mr. Stephan complained about Mr. Poirier's dog barking," Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson said Poirier told troopers that Stephan fired a .22-caliber rifle and hit 20-year-old Michael Poirier's foot -- Michael was wearing a cast.

"I don't know if this has proven out, but [Poirier] believes that a bullet or bullet fragment grazed his son's cast." Wilkinson said.

According to troopers, Michael, a woman named Dusty Duke, 24, and 25-year-old Michael Weist all said they were outdoors at the Poirier residence when the alleged shooting started.

When troopers arrived, Stephan was in his home across the street and refused to come out, Wilkinson said. At about 12:30 a.m. -- an hour into the standoff -- troopers shot pepper balls into Stephan's house, but Stephan still refused to come out, Wilkinson said. The pepper balls are fired by a compressed air gun, similar to a paint ball gun and burst open on impact.

At about 2:30 a.m., a five-member trooper special emergency response team (SERT) arrived. A specially trained trooper negotiator arrived at about 4:30 a.m. The negotiator began to talk with Stephan and about an hour later Stephan surrendered, according to troopers.

Michael Poirier was taken to Valley Hospital due to an injury to his right leg. Duke was also taken to the hospital after she told troopers she had hurt her shoulder while trying running for cover, according to troopers.

Troopers believe alcohol was a factor in the incident. Wilkinson did not know what Stephan's blood/alcohol level was when he was arrested.