Alaska State Troopers say two tribal police officers in Quinhagak may face criminal charges for allegedly giving alcohol they'd confiscated in the village to two teenage girls, and one may face charges for sexually assaulting one of them.
On May 5, the troopers' Violent Offenders Unit in Bethel got a report that the tribal officers had "sexually assaulted a community member," according to a dispatch posted Thursday.
An investigation found two officers had confiscated bottles of alcohol from an unidentified villager. The officers drank the alcohol at the local jail, troopers reported.
Quinhagak, a village of about 745 residents on the east shore of Kuskokwim Bay in Southwest Alaska, is a dry village. The sale, importation and possession of alcohol are all illegal.
Two girls, ages 18 and 19, met up with the tribal officers, who gave them some of the alcohol, troopers said. The officers "later engaged in sexual acts with one of the teenagers," the dispatch says.
Troopers did not identify the officers. Spokeswoman Megan Peters deferred questions on the identities of the officers and their current employment status to tribal authorities in Quinhagak.
"In this case, these guys were allegedly on duty at the time these misdeeds were done," Peters said.
Charges have been forwarded to state prosecutors for review: One officer may face two counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor in a dry village while the other officer may face the same two counts as well as one count of second-degree sexual assault. Peters wouldn't say why only one of the officers might face sexual assault charges.
Officials with the Native Village of Quinhagak did not immediately return calls for information about the officers. An employee who answered the phone at the village office declined to comment.
Chris Klint contributed to this story.