Sexual assault made after investigation tied to Grunwald case

PALMER — A 22-year old Fairbanks man faces three felony sexual assault charges apparently stemming from an investigation into the Nov. 13, 2016 death of 16-year old Palmer youth David Grunwald.

According to charging documents, Jordan Nicholas Brice Santistevan was arraigned in Fairbanks on first-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. The complaint filed Palmer District Court Tuesday alleges Santistevan was the perpetrator in a July 26, 2016 incident involving a 15-year old girl. According to an affidavit filed in Palmer District Court, the incident was discovered as part of the investigation into Grunwald's murder investigation.

Alaska State Trooper (AST) Sergeant Mike Ingram didn't mention Grunwald by name. He did state Santistevan's eventual arrest involved himself, investigators from Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and the Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU). Ingram said in mid-November, 2016, he and other law enforcement "... embarked on complex criminal investigation involving the initial disappearance of a teenager in the Mat-Su Valley, which ultimately resulted in a homicide investigation."

Ingram said a cellphone seized Nov. 30, from a suspect in the homicide case was forensically analyzed after AST executed a search warrant on the device. Ingram stated as a result of the search, an approximate 10-second video depicting sexual intercourse between a male and young female was discovered. Ingram said the female didn't move or indicate consent during the video. He said the male subject was not immediately recognizable and that at least four other voices could be heard on the video. Ingram stated metadata—specifically the embedded date/time stamp attached to the video, showed it was created July 22, 2016.

"Through the course of our investigation into the murder of the teenager, we (ABI) came into contact with numerous teenagers and young adults," Ingram stated in his affidavit adding investigation led to victim identification.

Further investigation revealed the alleged incident took place inside a garage of a local business on Palmer-Wasilla Highway near the intersection of Shenandoah Drive. Ingram stated numerous teens and young adults, including the person identified as Santistevan, were at the party. Police were told the victim had been drinking vodka and using marijuana throughout the evening and that person later identified as Santistevan supplied the alcohol.

According to Ingram's affidavit, toward the end of the gathering, the event moved from the garage to a camper which at the time, was located on the property. Ingram said an interviewed witness told police he walked in on (Santistevan) and yelled for him to stop but no one did anything about it. The witness said they recalled seeing two people filming the act with their phones.

Further investigation led police to believe the victim didn't have any recollection of the event but she did recall being at the location of the alleged assault. She also told police she remembered waking up the following day "...with a lot of bruising and she said she had bruises all over her body..." Ingram stated in the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Santistevan moved from Wasilla to Fairbanks at the end of July, 2016. His bail was set at $10,000 cash/corporate plus a court-appointed third party. According to online court documents, Santistevan has numerous convictions--including assault, two DUI counts, and numerous misdemeanors.