18 years for having sex with teenager; wife’s sentence next

PALMER — A man who officials say enticed an under-aged girl into his marital bed pleaded guilty Friday to one count of sexual abuse of a minor.

Joshua Peter Mead, 30, appeared in yellow prison scrubs before Palmer Superior Court Judge Gregory Heath, shackled to his wife, Shannon Mead.

They were arrested in June of last year. In an affidavit filed with the case against the couple, Alaska State Troopers allege that for four years, starting when she was 13, the girl had a sexual relationship with Joshua Mead — estimating the total number of sexual encounters exceeds 200. The girl told troopers Mead and his wife had taken pornographic pictures of her.

Both Meads eventually joined in the activity with Shannon at one point telling the girl if she didn’t participate it would ruin her marriage, the affidavit says. The girl told troopers she didn’t know until she was 17 years old that that having sex with the couple was wrong.

In the affidavit, neither Mead denies that the sex took place. In a June 17, 2009, phone call with the girl, Joshua Mead apologized to her but said he didn’t have the strength to quit.

After the phone call, troopers arrested Joshua Mead at his Chugiak home, at which point he gave troopers a full account of his relationship with the girl, which was mostly consistent with her account. Shannon mead was arrested later at Wal-Mart.

Before Joshua Mead entered his guilty plea at Friday’s hearing, Shannon Mead’s attorney, Krista Maciolek, told the court her client wasn’t ready change her plea. Heath set Shannon Mead’s trial for May 10 at 8:30 a.m.

Joshua Mead’s attorney, John Richard, outlined the details of the agreement his client had reached with prosecutors.

In exchange for his guilty plea he will receive 18 years in prison with six suspended, leaving 12 years to serve.

The amount of restitution he will be ordered to pay the girl was left open while Assistant District Attorney Trina Sears shored up the numbers. Heath asked that she have the number ready by the next hearing.

“I want to do it all at one time,” he said.

Mead will formally receive his sentence on June 25. Court records show no other criminal case has ever been filed against Mead or his wife in Alaska.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.