By Dennis Box

For The Journal

Friday Harbor resident, Knud Kristian Kaj Sakstrup, Jr., has been charged with assault against a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He is currently in custody awaiting trial. Bail was set at $50,000.

The San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed two counts on May 27 against Sakstrup, commonly known to law enforcement as Butch.  He was charged with one count of third degree assault for assaulting a detective when she tried to arrest him. The second count filed against Sakstrup was resisting arrest.

At about 1 a.m. May 26 the detective went to a woman’s home to pick up a written statement concerning an incident that occurred the previous night. Once inside she saw the 44-year-old Sakstrup and told him he was under arrest.

The probable cause document stated, “Butch was aggressively trying to get away from me and had a combative demeanor and facial expression as I closed the distance between he and I. I told him to stop as he made his way forcefully through the cluttered room.”

The detective grabbed his arm attempting to put handcuffs on Sakstrup as he ran for the door.

“Butch forced the door open as I held his wrist at his side and he began to struggle more aggressively to try and get away,” the detective wrote. “I was able to keep hold of his wrist as I began to reach for his other wrist. Butch forcefully pushed me into the door and the door frame which caused immediate pain to my left thigh and my right forearm and caused me to lose my breath momentarily.”

The detective wrote that she told Sakstrup, “Stop, you’re under arrest Butch, you’re just making things worse for yourself by doing this.”

Sakstrup was able to get away. The detective was treated at an emergency room to treat her leg injury.

Deputies caught up with Sakstrup at about 8:30 a.m. May 26. When he saw the deputies he fled the scene. Sakstrup ran to a residence on Dougherty Lane and locked himself inside.

A deputy spotted a side window near the door that was open. He slid the screen off and opened the window and yelled for Sakstrup.

The deputy wrote, “I informed Knud that the house was completely surrounded and we had permission from Ralph Turner to come inside. Knud immediately yelled back that he was giving up and that this was a ‘BS’ warrant and that we were harassing him.”

He was ordered to drop to his knees at the doorway, but Sakstrup, “stood and started to yell at me that we were harassing him and this was a small town cops and that we got him and his life was ruined. Knud was not responding to my command and I was forced to illuminate him with the Taser.”

Following the illumination Sakstrup was taken into custody.

Sakstrup has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1991 including obstruction, assault, disorderly conduct and shoplifting.

Sakstrup’s son, Kristian K. Sakstrup, is serving a 40 month sentence for second degree rape of a child. He was sentenced in June 2013.