A Kenai man is facing multiple charges of sexual assault against multiple minors over a period of five years.
Donald Tresness, 29, of Kenai, was arrested Tuesday after more than four months of investigation by the Alaska State Trooper’s Soldotna General Investigations Unit after three minors claimed that he sexually abused them. The incidents took place in Soldotna between 2007 and 2012 and the victims, all female, ranged in age from 6-11 when the alleged abuse occurred.
According to an affidavit filed by Investigator Kevin Vik, the investigation started when a preteen girl in Anchor Point told her parents in May that Tresness had inappropriately touched her. In a later interview, she disclosed a total of 24 incidents of sexual abuse by Tresness, according to the affidavit.
“Following (the girl’s) disclosure of sexual abuse, more victims came forward and disclosed sexual abuse by Tresness to their parents,” the affidavit states.
A teenage girl in Kenai came forward in June saying that Tresness had repeatedly sexually abused her while he was living with her family. A second girl, who stayed with the first girl often when they were younger, said he inappropriately touched her once. He used to watch them when the first girl’s parents were out and had authority over them, according to the affidavit.
Another teenage girl, a stepsister to the girl who Tresness lived with, said Tresness used to inappropriately touch her and her stepsister while they were sitting on the couch watching television, but that it mostly happened to the girl who lived there.
Further investigation showed that Tresness had a prior conviction for sexual abuse of two children in Washington in 2003, according to the affidavit.
“During a polygraph interview Tresness disclosed 10 other victims ranging in age from 2-11, male and female, familial and non-familial,” the affidavit states.
Upon obtaining a warrant, Vik asked one of the victims’ parent to come to the trooper station and call Tresness to ask him about the incident. On the call, which was recorded, Tresness admitted to the allegations of sexual abuse against the two girls in Kenai. He attributed his actions partially to serious depression, according to the affidavit’s account of the phone call.
“I don’t know what to say,” Tresness stated, according to the affidavit. “I am extremely, extremely sorry.”
Tresness is facing four counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, an unclassified felony, and three counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, a class B felony. He is currently in custody at Wildwood Pretrial Facility with no bail and will next appear in court Oct. 9.
Reach Elizabeth Earl at elizabeth.earl@peninsulaclarion.com.
