Argument about stolen shoes leads to stabbing, police say

Two victims in stable condition, suspect in custody

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An argument about stolen shoes led to two hospitalizations and an arrest Tuesday night, according to a Juneau Police Department press release.

Juneau man Kurtis Michael Detemple, 25, was arrested on suspicion hitting one man in the head with a blunt object and stabbing another man in the shoulder, police say. Detemple is facing charges of first- and second-degree assault, while both victims are in stable condition.

Police got a call at about 6:35 p.m. Tuesday that a man had possibly been stabbed and was bleeding from the shoulder in the 1900 block of Lemon Creek Road, according to the release. When police arrived on the scene, they found that two men — a 39-year-old Juneau resident and 44-year-old Juneau resident — were injured. Both victims, police said, reported that Detemple had assaulted them.

Witnesses reported that earlier in the evening, the 44-year-old man and Detemple had gotten into a fight about one of the men stealing shoes from the other, police say. Later on, Detemple entered the 44-year-old man’s home and hit him in the head with a blunt object, police say. The 39-year-old man tried to break up the fight, according to JPD, and Detemple stabbed the man with a knife before fleeing to another home.

When they arrived, police found the knife that was believed to be used in the assault and seized it as evidence. Police found Detemple at a nearby residence and arrested him for first- and second-degree assault, according to the press release. Detemple was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center and held without bail. He was arraigned Wednesday, according to electronic court records.

The 39-year-old, who had been stabbed, was flown to Seattle for medical treatment and police said that as of Wednesday afternoon the man was in stable condition. The 44-year-old man was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital and later released, police say.


• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.


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