March 10, 2006

MARY AMES\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - A man convicted last year of having sex with the 9-year-old daughter of the woman he lived with, photographing the child while he had sex with her during the six years he remained in the household and then, in violation of a protective order, breaking into the home to take back his stash of child-sex photos was sentenced in Palmer Superior Court Thursday. Glen Ogletree, 47, was convicted by a jury on five counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, exploitation of a minor to make pornography, distribution of child pornography, violation of a protective order and first-degree burglary in early December after a two-week trial. During his trial, including in his own testimony, Ogletree claimed he acted out of love.

In his statements before the court at sentencing, Ogletree apologized to the court.

“I never intended to make my private life public,” Ogletree said. “I fell in love with the wrong person. I certainly apologize to the mother. I loved you through your daughter. The reason I didn't tell you was I had hoped not to hurt you. I should have been honest with you about my feelings for her. It was wrong to keep it a secret.”

Judge Eric Smith said that Ogletree seemed to have little chance at rehabilitation.

“You just don't get it,” Smith said. “With all due respect sir, you made that clear at trial when you said in a nutshell, ‘Four or 40, what's the difference.?' You don't fall in love with 9-year-old or 13-year-old or 15-year-old girls. They're not adults. They're kids. You just don't do that.”

Roman Kalytiak, district attorney, asked Smith for a 25-year sentence with 17 years to be served.

“When you talk to family members, they expect 40 to 50 years,” Kalytiak told the court. “It's very difficult to explain that in Alaska we don't give those terms.”

Ogletree's public defender, Holly Handler, asked the court for a sentence of eight years to serve, saying Ogletree coached youth sports including football, softball and wrestling.

“He was looking for love in the wrong place,” Handler said. “He needs to be referred to sex-offender evaluation. Alaska has some of the best sex-offender monitoring, and life-time registration is essentially a life sentence.”

The victim, who is now in her mid-teens, testified at the trial, but her mother, father and cousin spoke in her place at sentencing, and the district attorney read a note from the victim, saying she wanted the court to know Ogletree ruined her life and her family and asked the court to protect other children from the man who was her coach and acted as a father figure to her.

The mother asked for a 25-year sentence, saying children aren't a playground for sick adults.

“Please save another child from Glen,” she said. “Think about the hundreds of child victims in those photos.”

The teen's father also requested a 25-year sentence, saying he has sat with her through her nightmares.

“My son died in my arms 22 years ago,” he said. “I thought that was the worst thing I could ever go through, but this is worse. He's a monster, she was in fourth-grade, a little girl.”

Smith handed down a 30-year sentence, with 18 years to serve and the other years suspended, to make sure the defendant wouldn't reoffend, he said. And he added another 10 years probation.

“Mr. Ogletree needs treatment, but I don't know if it will take,” Smith said. “I'm sorry sir, but you have got a lot of thinking and learning to do.”

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@frontiersman.com.