Plea deal halts sex abuse trial

PALMER — In an unusual, if not unheard of move, A Wasilla man accused at one time of almost 50 counts of sexual abuse of a minor pleaded guilty to three of them after his trial began, attorneys said.

The trial for Emmanuel Cancel began Monday with jury selection, but the remainder of the trial was vacated Wednesday after lawyers for both sides reached a plea deal, according to representatives from the Palmer District Attorney’s office and Alaska court documents.

Victims played a role in the outcome, Assistant District Attorney Melissa Howard said in an e-mail explaining the plea.

“The primary consideration for extending an offer and in arriving at a plea agreement was the victims’ desire for the certainty that comes with a plea agreement,” she wrote, in an email. “The victims and their support networks should be commended for the courage and perseverance each has displayed throughout the life of this case.”

Cancel had faced multiple counts stemming from his 2011 arrest for abuse of a single victim, aged 15 at the time of his arrest. After investigators put out a public appeal for more victims, two others came forward.

A grand jury failed to indict on two of the original charges. Forty-five counts were re-filed in June 2013.

In all, Cancel had faced 42 counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, five counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, one count of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of distributing controlled substances to children and one count of third-degree drugs misconduct, court documents show.

Cancel is scheduled to be sentenced in April, court records show.

All three victims were “known to Cancel,” authorities said at the time of his arrest.

The Frontiersman does not identify victims of sex crimes, following long-standing media practice.

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