Man charged with sexual abuse of a minor

PALMER — A 37-year-old Palmer man sexually abused two girls, ages 8 and 10, then told their mother one of the victims was “provoking” and “initiating it,” authorities said.

Don A. Creech faces two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, and three counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, as well as one count of first-degree witness tampering, according to an indictment filed in Superior Court Feb. 13.

It is the Frontiersman’s policy not to identify juvenile crime victims, or name victims of sexual assault.

The victims’ mother reported concerns about Creech’s contact with the girls Feb. 4, after the older girl told her about some inappropriate touching, according to a police affidavit written by Palmer Police Officer Shayne La Croix. When the mother separately asked the younger girl about inappropriate touching, the girl told her mom that Creech had also touched her, according to the affidavit.

The older girl repeated the accusations during a child forensic interview, according to the affidavit.

Officers later obtained a warrant to listen to a conversation between Creech and the victims’ mother, according to the affidavit. During the conversation, Creech admitted to inappropriately touching the younger girl, but said the girl’s behavior toward him was “sexualized,” and that she was “provoking” him, according to the affidavit.

During a voluntary interview after Creech’s Feb. 5 arrest, Creech denied ever touching the girls, La Croix wrote. However, when confronted with the recorded phone call, Creech admitted to touching the girls, but denied touching their genitals.

“He stated that he had crossed the line, however, and should not have done so,” La Croix wrote.

“We talked for a while longer, and Creech asked if I would turn off my tape recorder,” the affidavit continues. “I told him that I could turn off my digital recorder, but nothing was off-record.”

After La Croix stopped recording, Creech admitted to touching the girls’ genitals, but said it had nothing to do with sex.

“Creech expressed concern about what was going to happen to him, as he was on parole and would probably be going back to jail for a long time,” La Croix wrote. “I told him that I did not think he was a pedophile, and he may not know why he touched the girls, but he did touch the girls’ genitals for some unknown reason. Creech agreed with that statement. I told him that this was not just about him, but the girls as well. I told him that by his actions of touching the girls’ genitals, they would have to deal with those feelings all their lives, and it would affect them. I asked Creech if he agreed with that statement, and he said he did.”

It’s not clear why Creech said he was on parole in the affidavit. Alaska Court records show only show three speeding tickets in 2014.

Creech was arraigned Wednesday in front of superior court judge John Wolfe. He remained in Mat-Su Pretrial Thursday afternoon on $50,000 bail with a court-appointed third-party requirement.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.