Big Lake man accused of sex assault

PALMER — A Big Lake man who allegedly sexually abused a girl starting in the second grade until middle school was in jail this week awaiting an arraignment in Superior Court.

Authorities say Kane Huff, 36, raped the same girl at least twice between 2009 and 2014. The incidents only became publicly known after the girl informed authorities at her school. The victim was known to the accused, according to an affidavit written by Trooper Shannon Fore.

The girl also said she had witnessed Huff threatening her mother by pointing a gun at her, which the mother later confirmed, according to the affidavit.

The girl also told troopers Huff had sent her a text message calling her a derogatory name, and when she showed it to a female relative of Huff’s, the woman smashed the phone and threw away, according to the affidavit.

Investigators obtained a warrant to listen in on phone conversations between Huff and the girl, during which Huff alluded to sex between them, and said that since she was underage “he could go to jail and that it wouldn’t be good,” Fore wrote.

Huff was working in Nome when initial reports to troopers were made Sept. 9, according to court documents. Troopers sought an arrest warrant prior to Huff’s return to the Big Lake area to prevent further assaults. Authorities arrested Huff Sept. 11 in Nome. A grand jury indicted him Sept. 18 on two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and a single count of third-degree assault.

He remained in Mat-Su Pretrial Friday evening on a $40,000 cash performance bail amount.

Huff’s only previous interaction with the legal system was a 2011 eviction case that was eventually dismissed.

Huff had been scheduled for arraignment in Superior Court Monday, but that hearing was listed as “vacated” in Alaska Court documents.

First-degree sexual assault of a minor is an unclassified felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.