Trial set to begin Monday for Talkeetna shooter

PALMER — Trial is set to start Monday for a Talkeetna man whose trailer Alaska State Troopers partially demolished in September 2006 to end a three-day standoff.

Donald Voorhis, 51, is charged with three misdemeanors and 10 felonies, including three counts of attempted murder.

Friday, his defense team and Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak appeared before Superior Court Judge Eric Smith to hash out pre-trial matters. Smith said he plans to pick a jury Monday afternoon.

“Picking a jury in a case like this is going to take more than an afternoon,” said Hermon Walker, who, along with Lee DeGrazia, represents Voorhis.

Smith said he isn’t so sure, that the case doesn’t involve as many built-in biases that tend to draw out jury selection as in cases involving child abuse or alcohol.

Pre-trial publicity might play a role, but Smith said it wasn’t an issue to deal with on Friday.

Troopers went to arrest Voorhis on Sept. 8, 2006, after reports from neighbor John Yow that Voorhis had fired a rifle in his direction. Yow said at the time that the incident was the latest in a string of alleged unstable behavior from Voorhis, most of which had involved Voorhis pointing a rifle at him. Yow said at the time he was fearful and had armed himself.

When troopers arrived at the cabin that day, Voorhis refused to come out, according to trooper reports. A subsequent attempt to arrest Voorhis that weekend drew shots from the trailer, prompting troopers to retreat and return fire.

As the standoff wore on, troopers tried tear gas and a high-pressure water cannon to get Voorhis out to no avail. Finally, on Sept. 10, 2006, they tore down part of his trailer with a small bulldozer and found him hiding inside.

Friday, Voorhis appeared calm in court, wearing a large beard, dressed in prison scrubs and shackled to another prisoner.

When Smith asked about the order of the witnesses Kalytiak intends to present, the prosecutor, who recently took over the case from Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Powell, told Smith, “Since I’ve only had this case a week there’s a lot of things that are up in the air in my mind.”

Herman and Kalytiak asked a handful of questions about what might happen if lawyers attempt to introduce certain evidence. Smith said a lot of those questions will have to wait for trial.

“I appreciate both sides letting me know it might happen and when it does we’ll deal with it,” he said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.