ANCHORAGE — A 58-year-old Palmer man convicted this week of multiple sex-abuse counts involving a child is believed to have absconded from Alaska after selling property and boarding a vessel out of Whittier, prosecutors said Friday.
Verdict reached in absentia after suspect disappeared
A state jury found the defendant guilty of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and harassment following a three-day trial. The offenses were alleged to have occurred in August 2020, according to the Alaska Department of Law.
Prosecutors told the court the defendant fired his attorney on the first day of trial, elected to represent himself and then did not return after jury selection. With a warrant issued for his arrest and evidence authorities say shows intentional flight, the judge ordered the trial to proceed without him.
Investigators outline steps suggesting planned escape
Alaska State Troopers and prosecutors say investigators established a pattern of preparatory actions in the weeks before court: the defendant sold his house earlier in June, disposed of his truck the week before trial and purchased a satellite phone with an international plan.
Authorities say the defendant then traveled to Whittier, boarded a boat and departed the harbor. Investigators also reported that his electronic monitoring device stopped transmitting early on the Tuesday of trial.
- Convictions: First-degree sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, harassment
- Alleged time of offense: August 2020
- Possible sentence if apprehended: 25 to 35 years
Assistant District Attorney Melissa Wininger-Howard, who handled the prosecution, acknowledged the difficulty survivors face in pursuing long-delayed cases and credited the victim for coming forward and seeing the case through to trial despite the passage of years.
Legal and public-safety stakes
Because prosecutors characterized the disappearance as voluntary and deliberate, the court treated the defendant as having waived his right to be present for the conclusion of proceedings. If located and returned to custody, he faces a substantial prison term under Alaska sentencing guidelines.
| Charge | Potential sentence range |
|---|---|
| First-degree sexual abuse of a minor | Significant prison term (part of combined exposure of 25–35 years) |
| Second-degree sexual abuse of a minor | Included in combined exposure |
| Harassment | Included in combined exposure |
State and local law-enforcement agencies continue to search for the man. Investigators say tips or sightings should be reported to Alaska State Troopers through local offices or by contacting the department's tip line. Given the possibility he left by water and the purchase of communications equipment with an international plan, authorities are treating the case as potentially involving travel beyond Alaska.
The case underscores challenges prosecutors face when alleged crimes are reported years after they occur and when defendants attempt to evade justice. It also raises questions for coastal communities about monitoring departures and coordinating with federal and international partners when suspects are believed to have fled by vessel.
No additional names or identifying details have been released by prosecutors beyond the defendant's age and the location ties to Palmer and Whittier.
