By failing to collect those DNA samples, law enforcement has left Alaska’s DNA database with crucial gaps, allowing at least one serial rapist to go undetected.
Sexual Abuse & Domestic Violence
After 3 years and $1.5 million devoted to testing rape kits, Alaska made one new arrest
First of two parts: In the state with the highest rate of sexual assault in the nation, testing the backlog of rape kits may not be enough. Many were from cases where the identity of the suspect was already known, or were opened only to find no usable DNA.
Former Bethel elementary principal Chris Carmichael pleads guilty to federal charges
The maximum penalty for the charges Carmichael is pleading guilty to includes no less than 10 years and up to life in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Local orgs donate $38,000 to speed up processing of Nome’s sexual assault kits
Right now, according to NPD’s Evidence Custodian Paul Kosto, the state lab is taking about a year to process kits.
In wake of scandals, Y-K school district revamps protocols for sexually inappropriate behavior
The policies identify specific examples of “sexual grooming” behavior and spell out how the district should respond to reports of it.
Since lockdown, many domestic violence shelters have seen fewer calls for help. Staff worry about why.
Shelters have taken extra precautions against the spread of COVID-19 and say they have sufficient access to sanitation, protective equipment and testing.
From Kotzebue to Ketchikan, Alaskans protest the killing of George Floyd, calling for justice
While Alaska’s rallies and protests have remained peaceful some Alaskans have reported instances of intimidation, backlash, or resistance. More demonstrations are planned for this weekend.
4 girls now allege Bethel school principal abused them
Four girls are suing the Lower Kuskokwim School District, alleging that it didn’t properly follow up on multiple complaints of sexual misconduct by a former Bethel elementary school principal.
A rural Alaska school district said it was blindsided by its principal’s arrest. Except he’d been investigated twice before.
In a state with a history of failing to protect children, and in a region with a sexual assault rate more than six times the national average, parents of girls are asking the same question: How was this allowed to happen?
National day brings awareness to missing and murdered Native women and girls
The missing and murdered Native women epidemic is an issue affecting Indigenous people in the United States, Canada and around the world.