Two enter pleas in sex abuse case

PALMER -- A 31-year-old man pleaded no contest Friday in Palmer Superior Court to a felony charge of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. The victim's mother pleaded no contest to hindering prosecution in the same case.

The man agreed to three years in prison with two years suspended, plus three years probation, under terms of a plea bargain. The offense is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

He had a sexual relationship with a girl who was 15 years old at the time, and she became pregnant by him. Charging documents said the man lived in the Wasilla-area home with the girl and her mother and father, who said they gave their blessing to the relationship because the Bible said it was OK.

The mother, 37, and father, 40, were indicted by a grand jury in July on charges of endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree, a class C felony with possible punishment of five years in prison. The mother also was charged with hindering prosecution for trying to arrange for the man, who is the girl's cousin, to escape to Canada.

The woman went into hiding when police learned of the plan, but was arrested on a warrant a few days later. The Palmer District Attorney's office dropped charges of endangering the welfare of a child filed against the mother and father in return for her plea to the hindering prosecution charge.

She agreed to serve 60 days with the possibility of a suspended imposition of sentence for the class C felony. Judge Eric Smith set sentencing for March 12, 2004.

The relationship came to the attention of authorities from a tip by an adult whose teen-age daughter is a friend of the victim, according to an Alaska State Trooper report. The report said the victim went to Arkansas in 2002 and returned to Alaska with the man.