(Anchorage, AK) –Tuesday, Bethel Superior Court Judge Nathaniel Peters sentenced 63-year-old Harvey Hill of Hooper Bay to 20 years with 8 years suspended and 12 years to serve for a 2019 attempted sexual assault in the second degree of a 19-year-old woman.  Hill will serve the full 12 years as he is ineligible for mandatory or discretionary parole based on a prior 1996 conviction for sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree. 

Hill sought referral to the Three Judge Sentencing Panel for the purpose of reducing his sentence.  He argued that based on his age and deteriorating medical condition it would be unfair to require him to serve 12 years as it may result in him spending the rest of his life in jail.  Hill testified in support of his request regarding the impact his ongoing medical conditions could have on his incarceration. 

The State asked the court to impose the 12-year sentence to serve, noting that a 12 year sentence is appropriate based on Hill’s history and the facts of this case.  The State asked the court to focus on the impact this crime had on the victim and the community when imposing a sentence on Mr. Hill.  The State noted that as a repeat sexual offender, Hill presents a clear danger to the community.

Judge Peters found that Hill had not proven that his case should be referred to the Three Judge Sentencing Panel and that a sentence of 12 years was fair given his history, the facts of his case, and the medical treatment available to him in custody. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Bailey Woolfstead of the Office of Special Prosecutions’ Rural Prosecution Unit.

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  Alaska, assault, harvey, hill, hooperbay, sentencing, sexual