A grand jury in Juneau issued one indictment on Friday.
Easton C. Hagwood, 21, of Haines, was indicted on one count of second-degree assault for allegedly causing serious physical injury to Harley Whittington on Nov. 13. That’s a class ‘B’ felony that can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine.
Prosecutors say Hagwood punched Whittington in the face aboard the M/V Columbia as it was traveling from Haines to Juneau. An affidavit indicates the two knew each other.
Hagwood was originally charged via felony information by the District Attorney’s Office in December. The Alaska Constitution and criminal rules of court require an indictment be issued in order to prosecute felonies, unless the defendant waives that right.
Hagwood was released from custody on a $1,000 cash performance bond earlier this month, according to electronic court records.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Juneau Superior Court before Judge Philip Pallenberg on Feb. 7.
Indictments are formal accusations of illegal activity, and they are not indicative of guilt. The District Attorney’s Office presents cases to the grand jury each Friday.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (14)
Add commentHang time.
How long does it take to be indicted? This DA office seems to make it up as they go along.
Consenting Adults
In this case they were on state owned property and their very lives are the responsibility of the crew. Book em and charge em!
But for the most part I'd agree with you. Two consenting adults having a common fist fight should not be brought up on felony charges that tax paying citizens have to shell out for.
Re: Rough Cut
If you are going to say something so completely and utterly stupid, please, at least spell chute properly so you don't sound quite so moronic.
I think doth protest too much, Rough Cut
My guess is your name is really indicative of your preference. Rough and cut (i.e. circumsized). It's ok, we still love you regardless.
shute - variant of chute
From the JE archives: "The blow fractured the victim’s jaw so that it had to be wired shut for six weeks, according to an affidavit."
chute
1 [shoot] Show IPA noun, verb, chut·ed, chut·ing.
noun
1.
an inclined channel, as a trough, tube, or shaft, for conveying water, grain, coal, etc., to a lower level.
2.
a waterfall or steep descent, as in a river.
3.
a water slide, as at an amusement park.
4.
a steep slope, as for tobogganing.
verb (used with object)
5.
to move or deposit, by or as if by means of a chute: The dock had facilities for chuting grain directly into the hold of a vessel.
(Courtesy of dictionary.com)
Shoot?
1 a (1) : to eject or impel or cause to be ejected or impelled by a sudden release of tension...
Action!!!
Let's have cage fights on the winter ferry runs from Juneau to Haines--who knows what to have on the return trip. Much better than the good old days with those weekends at the Huna Totem Lodge or flights to Whitehorse. Cheap drinks and no DUIs!
2nd Degree Assault
I am not sure that slugging someone in the face rises to this level of offense. What happened leading up to the punch?
AS 11.41.210. Assault in the Second Degree.
(a) A person commits the crime of assault in the second degree if
(1) with intent to cause physical injury to another person, that person causes physical injury to another person by means of a dangerous instrument;
(2) that person recklessly causes serious physical injury to another person; or
(3) that person recklessly causes serious physical injury to another by repeated assaults, even if each assault individually does not cause serious physical injury.
(b) Assault in the second degree is a class B felony.
@haineschris
The blow fractured the victim’s jaw so that it had to be wired shut for six weeks, according to an affidavit.
Sounds pretty serious there.
I do not know the particulars but it would appear the two
have a history. Being on land where avoidance and distance could well be the prudent course was not a choice. Depending upon the circumstances one fellow's choice to use such close proximity to his advantage thus removing the other's choices certainly does suggest aggravating circumstances.
argh
In legal terms "serious" means life threating. Broken jaw=pain, but few have died from a broken jaw.
4th degree assault means you did something that either scared or caused minor injury. 3rd is when someone gets beat up-broken nose, jaw, cuts, bruises and so forth. 2nd is when you use a weapon to realy hurt someone, and 1st is when you came close to killing the person.
Build the road!
This never would've happened if there was a road.....just sayin'.
Maybe he's the same lowlife
Maybe he's the same lowlife in Haines that shot those dogs with arrows? Haven't heard if anyone was ever caught yet or not. I guess it makes for good story headlines, but not important enough to do a follow up story?