Sexual Assault

Editor's note: This story contains graphic details of a sexual assault and murder; reader discretion is advised. Federal authorities released a series of grim details Tuesday on the kidnapping and killing of Samantha Koenig, the latest revelations in a flood of information released following Israel Keyes' apparent suicide Sunday in his Anchorage Jail cell. FBI Special Agent Jolene Godden and Anchorage Police Department Ofc. Jeff Bell tell Channel 2 Tuesday night that Keyes is believed to have committed a ninth murder in addition to the eight he already mentioned to authorities -- those of Koenig, Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt., four victims in Washington state and one on the East Coast.

Serial rapist Richard Dorsey was sentenced Friday afternoon to 79 years in prison for a series of rapes from 2001 through 2004. Judge Michael Spann called Dorsey a 'serial rapist,' before handing down the sentence. "I don't think your rehabilitation is likely at all," Spaan said. He is already in prison serving a 2010 sentence for groping a woman in a grocery store in 2006. In 2009, an Anchorage police detective retrieved a discarded Styrofoam cup Dorsey had drank from in court during his first sexual assault case that had DNA on it that linked him to the cold cases.

A man chased by bystanders and the woman he attacked during a 2008 sexual assault was sentenced in court Friday. Michael Nyako, 25, was sentenced to 49 years with five years suspended, for attempted sexual assault and assault in the second degree.       According to court documents, Judge Michael Spaan said Nyako had no remorse and didn't take responsibility, instead blaming mental illness.   Police say the victim was jogging...

A 20-year-old Anchorage man faces sexual assault charges after reportedly assaulting and chasing a woman last weekend. Anchorage police say a woman tried to enter the Providence Extended Care building at 5 a.m. Saturday by kicking the door. Staff say when they approached the woman she had forced her way through, trying to escape a male suspect who had allegedly sexually assaulted her. Police say Andrew Amaktoolik chased the woman to the building, and was trying to assault her in front of Providence employees.

by Ted Land Monday, February 01, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska judges may soon have more power to grant protection to Alaskans who are being stalked or abused. House Bill 307 passed the House unanimously Monday morning. The bill is sponsored by Anchorage Democrat Lindsey Holmes and closes a small gap in Alaska statute. It would ensure all victims of sexual assault get the protection they need—specifically, restraining orders. The bill came about because certain judges have been unable to grant protection in some cases because they say the wording of previous statutes did not allow for it. Holmes says it was especially a problem in rural communities.

Anchorage police say a woman was sexually assaulted in her home at knifepoint early Friday morning. At about 12:30 a.m., an unknown man entered the woman's home on the 3500 block of McKenzie Drive. The victim couldn't get a clear description of the suspect, but believes he may have been a light-skinned black male. The suspect fled the scene on foot following the attack. The victim believes that her door may have been left unlocked, inadvertently allowing the suspect to gain entry into her home.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, July 29, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Anchorage police arrested a cab driver Thursday morning for sexual assault. Police say that in March, 43-year-old Rafael Martinez picked up a woman from a hotel in downtown Anchorage who was intoxicated. The woman said she passed out in the backseat of the cab, and when she awoke her pants and underwear were off and Martinez was in the back seat with her. She says he drove her to her destination and left the scene without requesting his fare.

An Anchorage-based Marine Corps recruiter convicted in a court-martial Friday of sexually assaulting a friend's girlfriend on New Year's Eve 2011 may face local charges in the crime, according to the Anchorage Police Department. In a Monday statement, APD spokesperson Anita Shell says the case against 33-year-old Gunnery Sgt. Nicholas Howard, who worked at the Dimond Center mall, has been handed over to the district attorney's office. “December 31, 2011 began as a birthday celebration which included the victim and her boyfriend, Howard and his wife, and a third female,” Shell wrote.

As part of a mission to lower Alaska's high rate of domestic violence and sexual assault, Alaskans are using a national prevention program called Green Dot to reach that goal and think outside the box. Imagine seeing a map with a lot of red dots on them that represent domestic violence and sexual assaults that happen here in Alaska every single day -- then imagine those red dots are replaced by green dots that represent people coming up with solutions...

Anchorage men strapped on stilettos to raise money Saturday afternoon for "Standing Together Against Rape," a women's advocacy project, at a midtown mall. Participants walked for a full mile as part of the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" fundraiser at the University Center that helps raise money for STAR, a group that supports women who have been abused. “I have several loved ones that have been directly affected by sexual assault, so I felt it was necessary to come and support the cause through STAR,” Anchorage police officer Tommy Quinlan said.

Anchorage police say a man who allegedly raped and robbed two women in their Downtown hotel room last month was set to be arraigned Monday on sexual-assault and theft charges. According to APD spokesperson Anita Shell, 18-year-old Robert Mitchell Gutierrez has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of theft in the incident, which happened overnight March 16. Shell says the women, ages 19 and 21, were visiting from Soldotna for a shopping trip. One of them had met Gutierrez on the dating website plentyoffish.com, and made arrangements to meet with him when they finished shopping.

Four men have been arrested by Anchorage police on more than 30 charges, after they allegedly took a homeless teenage girl to an Eagle River apartment and raped her there for two days. In a Wednesday statement, APD spokesperson Dani Myren says the men -- Ryan Anthony Poole, 21; Joseph Sanford, 20; Alex Metzger, 19; and Jesse Contreras, 19 -- were taken into custody in connection with the case. In a criminal complaint, APD Detective Jade Baker says he and a Standing Together Against Rape advocate spoke with the victim, a 17-year-old Alaska Native girl, on the night of March 20. The victim said Metzger and Poole picked her up at about 10:20 p.m. on Saturday, March 16 at the Atwood Building, then took her to an apartment above Eagle River Liquor on the 16000 block of Artillery Road.

Self-defense scenarios are often hard to predict, but Rep. Mark Neuman, R-Big Lake, is trying to strengthen Alaska's self-defense laws by introducing a bill allowing you to protect yourself in places "You have a right to be in", such as a downtown street or public lands used for hunting. The current law on the books only allows you that right in your home, apartment or place of business. "You don't want to end up in court with the bad guy saying, well Alaska's laws saying you have a duty to retreat, and you didn't so now you're the one who's at fault," said Rep. Neuman . Alaska's statute says you may use deadly force in self-defense on another person when to the extent that person reasonably believes the use of deadly force is necessary for self-defense against death, serious physical injury, kidnapping, assault, sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor and robbery.

On Friday, March 15, Senator Lisa Murkowski outlined a proposal with Alaska's tribal leaders that would create the framework to collaboratively solve the public safety crisis in rural Alaska. Murkowski's Rural Public Safety Initiative attempts to bring the State of Alaska and Alaska Native tribes together to increase both the public safety presence and authority to the most remote Alaskan communities. "We face a crisis of public safety in rural Alaska," said Senator Murkowski.

Serial rapist Richard Dorsey was sentenced Friday afternoon to 79 years in prison for a series of rapes from 2001 through 2004. Judge Michael Spann called Dorsey a 'serial rapist,' before handing down the sentence. "I don't think your rehabilitation is likely at all," Spaan said. He is already in prison serving a 2010 sentence for groping a woman in a grocery store in 2006. In 2009, an Anchorage police detective retrieved a discarded Styrofoam cup Dorsey had drank from in court during his first sexual assault case that had DNA on it that linked him to the cold cases.

490 calls for police assistance in 2012 was one of many reasons the Anchorage Police Department was glad to hear that the Inlet Inn will close. On Tuesday, the owners announced they would shut down the troubled downtown hotel. Police said it's been the center of excessive drinking and drug use, which then leads to violence. On Wednesday, APD Sergeant Mark Rein told KTUU News that 184 qualified as excessive under municipal code out of the nearly 500 calls. “Under the muni code 8.80, commercial locations are allotted 103 calls before excessive police ordinance would take effect , Sgt. Mark Rein, Anchorage Police Department, said.

Governor Sean Parnell delivered his fourth State of the State address at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening before a joint session of the Alaska Legislature. A proposal to change Alaska's oil tax structure, a focus on Alaska's financial stability, continuous funding of law enforcement to curb domestic violence, sex trafficking, and sexual assault rates, and the hope of increasing Alaska's graduation rate by 20 points in seven years were just some of the topics Parnell discussed. The governor also took a few moments during his speech to remember the nine fallen service members who deployed from Alaska and former lawmakers who passed away this last year.