When an Alaska Wildlife Trooper noticed a driver’s vehicle registration was expired, he began a traffic stop that ended with a woman escaping a violent encounter.
Toby A. Wark, 37, was arraigned in Juneau Superior Court on Wednesday for two felony counts of assault that a grand jury handed up on Aug. 17. Both counts, second- and third-degree assault, stem from an Aug. 10 incident 20 miles southeast of Hoonah where Wildlife Trooper Andy Savland noticed Wark’s blue dodge parked on a U.S. Forest Service Road, according to a Hoonah Police Department complaint.
The vehicle initially appeared unoccupied, but when Savland approached the driver’s side door he saw Wark, who told the trooper he was just driving around looking for deer. Savland also saw a person seated on the passenger side, covered by a white sheet. When Savland tried speaking to the person and the sheet came down, he reported seeing “badly swollen” and “purple” lips.
The woman who came out from under the sheet had difficulty speaking, but told the trooper she thought she broke some ribs during a fall and would like an escort to the hospital. It was while riding with the trooper that she told him Wark was actually her attacker. Savland pulled Wark over and sent him to HPD’s station for questioning while he continued to take the woman to the clinic.
At the clinic, the victim said Wark also chocked her and punch her “at least 12 times” on her mouth, jaw and ear. The woman said Wark apologized to her when she woke up from the brief unconsciousness caused by the choking, according to the police report.
Wark told officers at the HPD station that he did not know how the victim got her injuries.
According to online court records, Wark was previously found guilty in Juneau of felony vehicle theft (2001), disorderly conduct stemming from an original domestic violence assault charge (2003), driving under the influence (2005) and attempted misconduct involving a controlled substance (2006).
The next court date for Wark was not available online Wednesday by the end of the business day.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
