A Juneau judge has sentenced a 23-year-old man to three years in prison for attempting to sexually abuse a minor two years ago.
Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg sentenced James Alexander Leblanc-Tweedy on Aug. 16 for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in June 2014. The sentence also includes three years of suspended jail time.
Leblanc-Tweedy pleaded guilty to attempted sex abuse of a minor on Jan. 19. He was originally charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, which is a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison. One count was reduced to an attempt charge, and the second was dismissed.
Alaska statute makes it illegal for anyone 17 years or older to knowingly have sex with someone 13, 14, or 15 years of age and at least four years younger than them.
Pallenberg handed down the sentence last week as part of a plea deal initiated on Jan. 19 before a jury trial was scheduled to begin in May, according to online court records. One count of sex abuse was dismissed and the second count was reduced to attempted abuse.
According to a previous report by the Empire, a second man, Harris D. Graves, 22, was also indicted for sexual abuse of a minor involving the same victim. Graves was facing one felony count of sex abuse of a minor, felony assault and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor or runaway. All of his charges stem from the date of Oct. 31, 2014.
He pleaded guilty during a change of plea on Aug. 4, according to online court records, and he’s scheduled to be sentencing on Sept. 28.
