Sex abuse case against ex-Alaska attorney general thrown out

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A decide dismissed a intercourse abuse case in opposition to former appearing Alaska Lawyer Common Clyde “Ed” Sniffen, citing the statute of limitations in place when the alleged abuse occurred over 30 years in the past.

The case, thrown out on Friday, concerned allegations that Sniffen, 58, sexually abused a then-17-year-old scholar in 1991 when he was 27 and the alleged sufferer’s coach of her highschool’s mock trial competitors group in Anchorage. Sniffen had pleaded not responsible.

Alaska doesn’t presently have a statute of limitations in place for sexual abuse of minors. Nonetheless, in an order on Friday, Superior Court docket Choose Peter Ramgren mentioned that in 1991 there was a five-year restrict on bringing costs of sexually abusing minors, the Anchorage Every day Information reported. He mentioned that modifications made to the statute of limitations by state lawmakers for sure crimes in 1992 and 2001 didn’t apply to Sniffen’s case, siding with the defendant’s lawyer.

Sniffen was appointed Alaska’s high legislation enforcement officer by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Jan. 18, 2021, after his predecessor, Kevin Clarkson, resigned following allegations he despatched undesirable textual content messages to a feminine state worker. However Sniffen himself resigned simply 11 days after his appointment, citing private causes.

The Anchorage Every day Information and ProPublica reported Sniffen’s resignation was introduced as they have been reporting on allegations of sexual misconduct with the Anchorage highschool scholar three a long time earlier. A grand jury indicted him on three felony counts of sexual abuse of a minor final 12 months.

The alleged sufferer, Nikki Dougherty White, referred to as the ruling a “enormous disappointment” however mentioned she didn’t remorse going public together with her story after studying that Sniffen had been appointed to the place.

“As a result of the reality is essential,” White mentioned. “And since Alaska has too lengthy been a spot that favors abusers, that doesn’t present a secure area for victims, for girls, for ladies, for anyone who doesn’t match, you understand, the white male profile.”