A substitute village police officer from the dry village of Selawik is in jail in Nome awaiting trial. Brent Norton is charged with supplying alcohol to a minor and raping her while she was unconscious. The 16-year-old girl was found dead hours later.
One month earlier Norton received an award at AFN for his dedication to public safety. His case brings up important questions about how VPOs are vetted in villages throughout the state.
Norton was presented with a President’s Award at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage this October.
The Glen Godfrey Law Enforcement Award is given each year at the annual AFN convention to an Alaska Native law enforcement officer who has shown “outstanding dedication to the safety of the public in Alaska.”
Norton was recognized for his response to a shooting in Selawik this summer. He had less than six months of experience at the time but was first on the scene. While a victim died from gunshot wounds, Norton risked being shot at to retrieve the body.
One month later, 29-year-old Norton allegedly supplied a 16-year-old girl, Lois Cleveland, with alcohol and later raped her while she was unconscious.
According to an article published by the Arctic Sounder, the Selawik Clinic received a call from Norton just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 18. Norton described Cleveland as cold and not breathing. Emergency responders spent 20 minutes trying to resuscitate her before she was declared dead.
But Norton’s record was far from clean prior to this year.
In 2006, he was arrested and pleaded guilty for transporting alcohol to a dry village. He was arrested for the same charge again in 2012. Then in June of this year, he was arrested and pleaded guilty for giving alcohol to a 13-year-old girl.
So how did a man with a record for importing and supplying alcohol to minors get hired as a substitute VPO in the dry village of Selawik?
“According to Alaska statutes, only a village can hire a village police officer. They’re the only ones who can hire a VPO,” explains Chris Hatch, program coordinator for Village Public Safety Officers in the Northwest Arctic Borough.
To be clear, a VPSO is different in many ways from a VPO. A VPSO goes through extensive training and vetting compared to a VP, but there are some safeguards in place.
According to the statutes Hatch mentioned, a person with misdemeanor convictions in the last 10 years will be “judged on his or her moral character, at the council’s discretion.” A person convicted of a felony in the last 10 years is ineligible. The incident in February of this year, in which Norton supplied alcohol to a minor was a Class C Felony. But he was a substitute VPO and under less scrutiny.
“What happens in a lot of communities is they hire a VPO and then they’ll hire someone to fill in,” Hatch explains. “You have a guy who works 20-30 hours a week, but when he leaves for some reason they have someone to fill in for him. In this case, they’re calling him a substitute VPO.”
While VPOs must pass a background check, the hiring of substitutes is at the discretion of the village. The city of Selawik had no comment for this story. Neither did AFN regarding Norton’s award.
According to his introduction at this year’s AFN conference, Norton’s reputation outshone his record.
“Residents describe him as dedicated to helping and he is known for his courteousness and kindness. He is an example of responsibility, courage, and respect.”
Norton’s involvement in the death of Selawik teen Lois Cleveland will add another felony to his record if he’s convicted. He’s being held at the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center in Nome, with bail set at $50,000.
Correction: A previous version of this story said Norton was arrested in February; he was actually arrested in June. We regret the error.
