Alaska News

Fairbanks coach, referee indicted for sexual abuse

A Fairbanks woman who coached girls hockey and refereed local games was jailed Friday for the alleged sexual abuse of a player on one of her teams in 2004, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Tara Leighton, 29, faces five counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor after a grand jury indicted her last week. Troopers say Leighton was 22 and an assistant coach when she allegedly had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl multiple times. The victim would now be 21 or 22.

The abuse is said to have occurred during 2004, but the victim's mother did not report it to authorities until April 2008, trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said. Then, more than 3 1/2 years later, the case went before a grand jury, which indicted Leighton on Friday, troopers said.

"This is something that happened years ago, so it's not an easy case to investigate," Ipsen said. "But we had investigators that were persistent, kept with it and were finally able to get the suspect indicted."

The victim was likely afraid to come forward, especially considering Leighton's role as an authority figure, Ipsen said

"This was somebody that the victim looked up to," Ipsen said.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner profiled Leighton in 2010 as she advanced in the profession of hockey refereeing. The newspaper reported that Leighton had hoped to officiate at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Leighton started playing hockey at age 7, the story says.

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Reach Casey Grove at casey.grove@adn.com or 257-4589.

By CASEY GROVE

Anchorage Daily News

Casey Grove

Casey Grove is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. He left the ADN in 2014.

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