Sarah Palin’s Oldest Son Was Arrested For Domestic Violence — Again

The son of former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Track Palin, was arrested for domestic violence over the weekend. According to online court records, Palin was arraigned Sunday in Alaska on charges of felony burglary, assault in the fourth degree, and criminal mischief. Palin had been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in a separate incident last year.

The offenses are alleged to have occurred Saturday in Wasilla, where Palin's mother used to be mayor. Online court records indicate that the criminal mischief charge, a misdemeanor, stems from property damage in the amount of $250-$999. Accordin to court records, that charge was ultimately The burglary charge indicates that Palin was attempting to "cause or attempt to cause physical injury to a person," according to the court records.

A sworn affidavit obtained by the Anchorage Daily News later revealed that the person Palin allegedly assaulted was his father, Todd. Palin called his father to say he wanted to come to his house, but was told not to because he’d been taking pain medication and drinking alcohol, according to the affidavit; he then went to his parents’ house anyway, only to be met at the front door by his father, who had a gun. Track then allegedly broke a window to enter the house and hit his father several times. The affidavit states Sarah Palin ultimately called the police, saying Track was "freaking out and was on some type of medication." He was eventually arrested, with court documents showing his bail was set at $5,000.

At the time of his arrest, Palin was on probation for a separate arrest on suspicion of domestic violence, which occurred on the eve of his mother's endorsement of Donald Trump in 2016. At the time, he was charged with a slew of misdemeanors, including interfering with the report of a domestic violence, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, and assault.

According to reports, Palin was suspected of punching his girlfriend and threatening suicide with an AR-15 rifle in that incident. Court records indicate that his girlfriend petitioned for both short-term and long-term protective orders the month after the incident occurred. Though Palin faced several charges related to the 2016 domestic violence incident, some of those were ultimately dismissed in exchange for him pleading guilty to possession of a firearm while intoxicated.

In the wake of his 2016 arrest, Sarah Palin said that her son, a veteran, had come back "hardened" from his deployment to Iraq. She also appeared to blame then-President Obama for her son's post-traumatic stress disorder, saying soldiers "come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airman and every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country. And that starts from the top." As reports have noted in the wake of those statements, Track Palin served in Iraq for a year in 2008 — during George W. Bush's presidential tenure.

Palin has had other brushes with the law, including a widely reported 2014 incident in which members of his family allegedly were involved in a brawl at an Anchorage house party. In that instance, police officers noted in their report that Track appeared "heavily intoxicated" and "belligerent" when speaking to them and had blood on his hands and face.

Palin, along with his siblings, was a fixture on the campaign trail during his mom's 2008 bid for Vice President of the United States. Palin ran on a Republican ticket with Arizona Senator John McCain, though the two ultimately lost to the Democratic Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden. In the years following that loss, Palin remained a conservative fixture, enjoying a largely loyal following among tea party Republicans. Her popularity has waned a bit in recent years, however, though she did campaign for Donald Trump in 2016. That endorsement ultimately proved to be an asset for the campaign, which saw a victory in a GOP race that was fueled largely by anti-establishment anger.

The law firm representing Sarah Palin said it had no comment regarding her eldest son's latest arrest when contacted by Bustle on Monday morning. In statements given to other media outlets, the family attorney said the Palins were requesting privacy. Palin was reportedly being held at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility in Palmer, Alaska, as of Sunday night. Another hearing is slated for December 27, according to online court records.