Trial for man accused of attempted murder with long history of violence is reset again

PALMER— Since 2010, Jeremy Bendt has been to court at least nine times for civil protective orders. Since 2007, he’s been to court at least four times for felony charges, mostly assault. And he has a series of other misdemeanor and minor cases dating back to 2004, according to online court records.

On Friday, Bendt’s scheduled trial date for two separate cases was pushed to April 22 during his pretrial conference. Bendt, 30, is currently accused of attempted murder, assault and vehicle theft in one case; and assault, interfering with report of domestic violence crime, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest in another case, according to online court documents.

Bendt allegedly assaulted and choked a woman unconscious in a Palmer-area cemetery July 22, 2018, around 2:15 a.m., according to Alaska State Trooper James Kurth’s affidavit in Bendt’s case file.

According to AST, a woman was ringing a doorbell, “screaming that someone was trying to kill her” and told troopers that the woman said that Bendt attacked her with a knife and assaulted her, striking her in the face and eventually, “strangled her to the point where she lost consciousness.”

Shortly after the incident, Bendt also allegedly stole the woman’s keys and her vehicle, according to the report. Bendt was arraigned for that cemetery incident on July 23, 2018, just 12 days after he was arraigned for a separate case.

AST’s Patrick Kruchowski stated in his affidavit that on July 11, 2018, around 8:30 a.m., he responded to a disturbance call at Papa Murphy’s Pizza in the Wasilla Fred Meyer parking lot. The woman who called stated that Bendt was in the parking lot threatening her and she was afraid to talk to him. The manager of Papa Murphy’s had to lock the door to keep the woman safe, according to Kruchowski’s affidavit.

Kruchowski stated that when he arrived on the scene, he talked to Bendt who claimed he “wasn’t doing a thing and has a right to be here.” Kruchowski stated that another AST officer arrived on the scene and he asked the officer to stay with Bendt while he talked to the woman but as he was walking away he heard the two arguing. Kruchowski stated that he informed Bendt to calm down or he would be detained.

“Just then Bendt started cussing and became very agitated and started walking aggressively towards me. He then was placed in hand cuffs,” Kruchowski stated in the affidavit.

Kruchowski stated that Bendt resisted until yet another officer helped detain him, giving him the opportunity to talk to the woman. Inside Papa Murphy’s, the woman came out of the back room crying, Kruchowski wrote, stating that she was very afraid of Bendt causing her harm. She told Kruchowski the fight started the night before at her residence and Bendt threatened her and physically hit her. She said that she tried to call the police but Bendt took her phone and broke it.

Kruchowski stated that the woman showed him text messages that showed Bendt threatening her life. He stated that Bendt denied the allegations and as he attempted to arrest him for DV assault 4, he refused to cooperate and started fighting the officers in his handcuffs. When Bendt was placed in the squad car, he allegedly kicked the center divider and door. Kruchowski warned Bendt that he would be tased but continued fighting so he tased him for four seconds in his back. Kruchowski stated that Bendt was transported to Mat-Su Regional for being tased.

“Bendt was very uncooperative and refused any medical treatment,” Kruchowski stated in the affidavit.

Bendt’s next pretrial conference is scheduled for April 9 and his trial week is scheduled to start April 22.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com