Man arrested after punching himself in the face

A Fairbanks man has been hit with charges by Alaska State Troopers, after he allegedly tried to incriminate a neighbour by punching himself in the face. According to AST, troopers responded to a reported assault at about 10:30pm last Sunday on Happyjack Street in Fairbanks, where they found 50-year-old Tony Gesin.

“(Gesin) called 911, reported being assaulted by a neighbour and began punching himself in the face to cause injury,” troopers wrote in a dispatch. “(Gesin) reported being assaulted to responding Troopers as well but ultimately admitted to punching himself in the face and reporting it in an attempt to get his neighbour arrested for assault.”



AST spokesperson Megan Peters says the call was the latest development in a matter where the neighbours were seemingly unable to reach resolution. “Apparently the two neighbours have an ongoing dispute in regard to property,” Peters said. According to Peters, troopers and other police agencies investigate fake calls just as diligently as they do real ones.

“I think what that report highlights to people is that if you file a false report, there are repercussions,” Peters said. “And then you have to face the embarrassment of punching yourself in the face and people finding out about it.” Gesin was arrested and charged with making a false report to law enforcement.