Track Palin, the elder son of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, was arrested on Jan. 18 in a domestic violence case. The arrest happened hours before his mother, a Tea Party conservative who was John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential elections, formally endorsed Donald Trump for president in Iowa.
Wasilla Police Department charged the 26-year-old with “fourth-degree assault, fourth-degree misconduct involving a weapon and interfering with a report of domestic violence,” according to the Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA, after responding to a 911 call from a woman who said she had been punched in the face. The police complaint (pdf, pg. 5) said Palin possessed a firearm while “impaired by intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance.” Palin’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of arrest was 0.189, more than double the legal driving limit in any US state.
Citing court documents, Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA said Palin’s girlfriend told police he had struck his girlfriend “on the left side of her head near her eye with a closed fist,” then “kicked [her] on the right knee,” then threatened to shoot himself with an AR-15 assault rifle. She was discovered by police hiding under the bed, crying, and “visibly distraught,” according to the police report.
The “involved firearm,” an unloaded AR-15, was found on a kitchen counter, the police report said. Palin denied using a firearm during the argument, but said they were “spread throughout both residences on the property.”
This is not the first time police have been called in an incident involving Track, the AP reported.
Palin was arraigned Jan. 19, but it is unclear if he has entered a plea.