Voorhis found guilty

A jury in Palmer found Talkeetna resident Donald Voorhis guilty on several counts in the standoff that took place in September 2006. Siblings said at the time of the arrest they felt Voorhis was unstable and had tried to help him. Some neighbors hope that now the trial is over, he might get assistance.

Voorhis was arrested in September of 2006 after a 3-day standoff with State Troopers at a Talkeetna-area trailer. Troopers tried many methods to get Voorhis out of his trailer. The stand off ended with Troopers using a Case 450 to take off the side of the trailer and removing Voorhis.

The jury found Voorhis guilty in all but 2 counts Wednesday. He was found guilty on one count of attempted murder, 7 counts of assault, one count of violating conditions of release for an earlier misdemeanor, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. There were 2 counts of attempted murder of which Voorhis was found not guilty. In the counts of assault, he was also found guilty of knowingly assaulting police officers in the line of duty.

Assistant District Attorney Roman Kalytiak said he took over the case just one week before it went to court. He said the defense suddenly changed direction after a year and a half of declaring Voorhis mentally unstable. He says the judge can still make a decision that would include Voorhis getting psychological help while in prison.

Two years ago, as Voorhis was arrested, his relatives said that they had tried to get him mental assistance, but the mental health system had failed him. Talkeetna residents Diane and Roger Merrill, at one time, had been Voorhis’ third party custodians in Wasilla. When they moved to Talkeetna, they were surprised to see him as a neighbor. In reaction to the guilty verdict, Diane Merrill said they tried to take care of Voorhis when they could. She believes he was nutritionally deficient and could easily have a bi-polar disorder. She said they had never been threatened by Voorhis, but they were aware of others who had.

Sentencing in the case happens in Palmer in November.