Sarah Palin’s son checks into Alaska halfway house

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The elder son of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin turned himself in to an Anchorage halfway house Wednesday to begin a year in custody, following his conviction for assaulting his father.

Track Palin was initially scheduled to enter the halfway house Oct. 31 after a judge decided new assault allegations disqualified him from a court program aimed at rehabilitating veterans and said he would have to serve time instead.

But the 29-year-old Army veteran won a delay after his lawyer said a bed at an Anchorage treatment hospital for veterans became available.

Palin in December 2017 was accused of breaking into his parents' home and leaving his father, Todd, bleeding from cuts on his head, authorities have said.

He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal trespass in that case, after he was initially charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal mischief.

Palin, who served a year in Iraq, has been accused of two other attacks on people close to him in recent years.

In September, Palin was arrested after a female acquaintance said he told her that she could not leave his house in Wasilla, took her phone and then hit her in the head, according to court documents.

The woman said they wrestled over the phone and that Palin let her leave after she screamed for help, according to an Alaska State Troopers affidavit. Troopers said Palin told them the two were arguing over how they said goodbye and that any injuries the woman had were self-inflicted.

Palin faces misdemeanor charges including assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct in that case.

Track Palin's plea arrangement called for him to serve 10 days in jail if he completed the therapeutic program and a year behind bars if he did not. Once Palin checks in to the halfway house, it's up to the Department of Corrections to determine if he will serve the time at the halfway house, on house arrest or in jail, according to Anchorage District Attorney Richard Allen.

Palin also was accused of punching his then-girlfriend in 2016. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of a firearm while intoxicated, and other charges were dismissed.

Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, has suggested that her son's post-traumatic stress disorder might have been a factor in that case.

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