Gavel (Courtesy photo)

Gavel (Courtesy photo)

Kenai resident sentenced for failing to register as sex offender

Wayne Hinze absconded from Oregon law enforcement in 2017

A 65-year-old Kenai resident, Wayne Hinze, was sentenced last week to 20 months in prison and seven years of supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender after moving to Alaska from Oregon.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska, Hinze was convicted in 1999 of two first-degree counts of rape, six first-degree counts of sexual abuse and three counts of first-degree attempted sodomy. He was sentenced in Oregon to 14 and a half years in prison and five years of probation.

As part of that sentence, Hinze registered as a sex offender and was “advised” that he would need to register in any state that he took up residence in if he moved from Oregon, according to the release.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Hinze was released from prison in 2014, the release says. In 2017, “he absconded from parole and law enforcement could not locate him,” the release said.

In October, Hinze was arrested after being found living in Kenai, and the release says law enforcement learned he had moved to Alaska in March of 2018. In the time he lived in Alaska, Hinze never registered or attempted to register as a sex offender. He had last registered in June 2017, while living in Oregon.

“Mr. Hinze’s manifest failure to register as a sex offender in the state of Alaska put our children at risk and will not be tolerated,” says U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska in the release.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Soldotna Mayor Paul Whitney cuts a ceremonial ribbon for the Soldotna Field House during its grand opening in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna Field House welcomes public during grand opening

The field house will open on Sept. 2 for regular operations.

President Donald Trump greets President Vladimir Putin of Russia as they met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Trump and Putin put on a show of friendship but come away without a deal

ANCHORAGE — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached no… Continue reading

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Northern Kenai fishing report: Sockeye good; coho arriving in local rivers

On the Kenai River, a record-breaking run of sockeye salmon has now crossed 4 million fish counted.

Protesters in support of Ukraine line the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, Alaska, on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula protests Putin’s Alaska visit

Protests were held Friday in Homer and Soldotna in concurrence with several others across the state.

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Kenai River bag limit for sockeye salmon increased through the end of the year

The bag limit for sockeye was set to decrease to three per day and six in possession on Aug. 16.

Nathan Erfurth testifies in his own defense during his trial at the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Erfurth found guilty on 28 counts for sex abuse, exploitation of a minor

The former Soldotna high school teacher and union head was convicted after six days of jury deliberations.

President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia during a joint news conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. President Trump is pushing to end the war in Ukraine, but analysts say the Russian leader could turn a hastily-planned meeting to his advantage. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Trump to meet Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage

Trump was expected to make what amounted to a day trip to Alaska to meet with Putin.

Civil Air Patrol Cadet 1st Lt. Hugh Traugott (right) works with Cadet Airman First Class Audrey Crocker (left) during a statewide training exercise on disaster response on Aug. 9-10, 2025, in Homer, Alaska.
Civil Air Patrol practices disaster response

Homer cadets and senior members were part of a statewide exercise last weekend.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in