Troopers: Youth detainee faces assault charges after chair attack

The Johnson Youth Center is a state juvenile detention facility in Juneau.
The Johnson Youth Center is a state juvenile detention facility in Juneau. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)

Alaska State Troopers report a teenager at Juneau’s juvenile detention center hit an employee over the head multiple times with a chair Saturday night.

In an online dispatch, troopers said assault charges are pending and that the 51-year-old victim was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital for treatment.

Johnson Youth Center superintendent Jess Lujan got the call Saturday night.

“It’s a stressful time when any of our staff members get assaulted and I think it hits home,” Lujan said. “We are very much concerned about everybody’s well-being here, including the youth. It’s a stressful situation when it happens, and staff members and the youth are feeling the effects of an investigation by an outside agency like the state troopers.”

Lujan said he can’t elaborate on the incident because of the active investigation.

He did say the employee who was assaulted is doing well, but is off work.

The 17-year-old in the incident, who is from Juneau, is still in the youth center’s custody.

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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