Police arrested a Juneau man Thursday on 10 charges after a downtown standoff that lasted about three hours and closed four city blocks.
Kenneth Kitka, 65, faces nine felony charges related to weapons and illegal drugs and one misdemeanor charge for violating conditions of release.
According to police, the search was connected to a more than year-long investigation into the distribution of illegal drugs. Kitka is now at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
The standoff between Kitka and officers with the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs task force began Thursday morning when officers tried to serve a search warrant for a home on North Franklin Street and its occupants. More than a dozen officers wearing tactical gear were at the scene, along with JPD’s armored truck.
Police said two people left the home early on in the search, and they have not been arrested or charged. But Kitka remained in the house and refused to leave.
For three hours, police spoke over a loudspeaker and fired less-than-lethal rounds into the house. Later, officers threw pepper spray into the home. Officers then entered and walked Kitka outside, where they handcuffed him and took him away in a police car.
According to charging documents, police discovered more than 4,000 suspected fentanyl pills, heroin, meth, cocaine, LSD and $100,000 in cash during their search. They also found one pistol under a bed and two in his truck.
Kitka made his first court appearance Friday morning. His bail was set at $200,000. State prosecutor Katholyn Runnels said Kitka is a significant danger to the community as well as a flight risk.
“In this case, when they went to serve the search warrant, he didn’t comply with officer’s command for approximately three hours,” she said. “They had to use irritants to get him out of the house.”
Kitka has a preliminary hearing on Feb. 26, 2024.