Wasilla standoff ends without injury

WASILLA -- A man who allegedly assaulted his mother was arrested after a two-hour standoff at a home on Harvest Loop last Wednesday afternoon.

Wasilla resident David Odum, 41, kept Wasilla Police Department officers at bay with a knife and a meat fork, according to chief Don Savage, who said WPD called for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers during the short stand off.

"He was tased once, and that did not work on him, and actually we're not sure why. It could be that there was a problem with that particular Taser," Savage said.

Taser is a brand name of electric-shock weapon, which police can use to subdue suspects or perpetrators. They have been around just over two decades, and new technologies have been added to the weapons along the way. Hand-held electric shock weapons sometimes look like the remote control for a garage door opener and they sometimes have a pistol-style grip and are aimed like a gun. Some models use an air cartridge to propel electrodes on copper wire cables toward the target. That's a relatively new feature that allows the person using the weapon to stay a safe distance away from their target. Other models are for hand-to-hand combat and some models do both. Tasers are one of many in a growing class of weapons which law enforcement professionals call either "non-lethal" or "less lethal."

Wasilla police went to the Odum residence after Odum's mother, Emma Odum, came to the police department and reported being assaulted by her son, David. When officers arrived at the residence, David Odum refused to come out and threatened to kill anyone who entered.

"He was reaching peaks and valleys in his emotions," Savage said.

Chief Savage responded to the scene and made the decision to call the Troopers. Troopers assisted with a "diversionary devise" according to Savage, who said he didn't want to discuss the diversionary device because he didn't want to discuss police tactics in too much detail.

By using the diversionary device and an M26 model Taser -- "That's the one that shoots the electric barbs," Savage said -- the police were able to subdue and arrest Odum.

WPD has charged Odum with domestic violence assault, criminal mischief and criminal trespass. Odum was taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility. He was still there Friday evening and his bail had been set at $5,000.