Crime & Courts

Anchorage man gets 5 years for New Year's rape of 14-year-old girl

A 22-year-old man was sentenced Friday in Anchorage Superior Court to five years in prison for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl at a New Year's party in 2013.

Judge Jack Smith sentenced Chad Russell Haire to eight years with three years suspended. Haire received time behind bars for six separate charges of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, all class B felonies, but the sentences will run concurrently, said Assistant District Attorney Jack McKenna.

The state prosecutor asked the court to impose the minimum sentence. Haire faced five to 15 years. McKenna said Haire has no criminal record and the sex abuse was an alcohol-fueled incident. The defendant "seems like he can be rehabilitated," McKenna said.

An Anchorage jury found Haire guilty in March.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2013, at a party in downtown Anchorage. The 14-year-old was with a group of teenage friends and became intoxicated, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Law.

The victim told Haire she was only 14, but he had sex with her anyway, the statement said.

The victim told investigators she passed out and didn't remember many details until she got home the next day. When she got home, she realized she had genital injuries and told her parents what she remembered of the previous evening, according to the statement. Her parents then reported the incident to the Anchorage Police Department.

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A forensic interview conducted by the Anchorage Police Crimes Against Children Unit and the Alaska CARES clinic led to DNA evidence that confirmed the crime had taken place.

McKenna said he emphasized during Friday's sentencing that the young man was responsible for his actions and failed to behave like an adult, regardless of whether there was drinking involved.

Haire will be required to register as a sex offender for life when released.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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