Homer News

The FBI has put out a new call for information related to activities outside of Anchorage, including possibly the southern Kenai Peninsula, of a former Department of Homeland Security officer indicted on Feb. 26. Bert Christopher “Chris” Heitstuman, 50, was indicted for seven counts of sexual assault for offenses alleged to have occurred over more than half a decade.

In a press release, Anchorage District Attorney Brittany Dunlop announced that Heitstuman was arrested on Feb. 25 after being indicted for seven counts of second-degree sexual assault by a grand jury in a criminal superior court in Anchorage, the Alaska Department of Law said in a news release.

The indictment is the result of a multi-year investigation by the FBI and Anchorage Police Department, with collaboration from the Department of Law and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, according to the Department of Law.

Heitstuman is accused of sexually assaulting three women over a six-year period between 2012 and 2018, according to the department. If convicted, Heitstuman could face up to 99 years in prison.

Five of the seven charges filed fell in the time period during which Heitstuman was employed in the Federal Protective Service as a law enforcement specialist, according to Department of Law. All of the alleged offenses occurred in Anchorage. However, the FBI seeks information for possible activity by Heitstuman outside Anchorage.

Heitstuman is currently being held on a $11,000 bond that requires a 24/7 third-party custodian, according to Department of Law. The FBI requests that any members of the public with more information on Heitstuman’s alleged activities call the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441.