Three men in Southwest Alaska were arrested late last week within the same 24-hour period on charges of sexually abusing minors, the Alaska State Troopers said in multiple dispatches.
Two of the men accused had worked in law enforcement, though neither was acting in his official capacity when the crimes are alleged to have occurred, the state troopers said.
The cases aren’t believed to be connected, according to Alaska Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Megan Peters.
Devin Darrough, 56, of Dillingham, was indicted Thursday on two counts of second degree abuse of a minor after a “lengthy investigation” spanning more than a year, troopers said.
The charges stemmed from accusations that Darrough, who at the time worked as a corrections supervisor at the Dillingham Contract Jail, had abused two children “multiple times over the past couple years." The children were younger than 13, according to online court documents.
Darrough’s charges were unrelated to his job at the jail, Peters said.
Peters said Darrough was a “well known person in the community.”
He was arrested late Thursday night and taken to the Dillingham Jail, the same facility where he previously worked, Peters said. He is being held without bond.
About 15 hours later, troopers said, they took Jeffrey Phillip, 33, of Kwigillingok, into custody. A Bethel grand jury had indicted Phillip two days prior on several sexual abuse charges related to accusations that he had abused a minor multiple times beginning when they were 11 years old.
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The victim told investigators that Phillip, who worked as a tribal police officer when the accusations were made, had secretly taken nude photos of them. He had also sent the victim “sexually explicit photos of his genitals," troopers said.
Like Darrough, the accusations against Phillip are unrelated to his work as a police officer, Peters said. Among the charges he faces: four counts of second degree sexual abuse of a minor.
He was being held Saturday at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel on $50,000 bond.
Less than two hours after arresting Phillip, troopers also arrested 47-year-old Timothy Fisher of Kwethluk, who, like the other two, is also facing multiple sexual abuses charges.
Fisher was indicted on four counts of second degree sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of third degree sexual abuse of a minor and one count each of incest and indecent exposure — all related to accusations that he sexually abused a young child, troopers said.
A concerned citizen reported Fisher to a village police officer, troopers said.
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Fisher was arrested in the village of Napakiak and taken to the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center, where he is being held on $100,000 bond.
Fisher was previously convicted on misdemeanor assault charges for incidents in Seward and Napakiak. He has also faced multiple felony assault charges, all of which were dismissed.
Check back for updates on this developing story.