Sterling woman arrested for kidnapping, sexual assault of a minor

  • By DAN BALMER
  • Thursday, October 2, 2014 10:12pm
  • News

A Sterling woman is in jail after Alaska State Troopers allege she forced a minor into the woods near the Sterling Highway and sexually assaulted him Tuesday.

Troopers received a report of a sexual assault that occurred at Mile 80.5 of the Sterling Highway in Sterling at about 6:20 p.m., according to a trooper dispatch.

Soldotna troopers and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene 30 minutes later and found Laurel Lee, 51, who was passed out in the woods.

Investigation revealed Lee yanked a 14-year-old boy off his bicycle and dragged him into the woods and sexually assaulted the teen, according to a trooper affidavit.

The teen told troopers he was eventually able to fight Lee off after a couple minutes. He ran back toward the Sterling Highway and then reported the assault to his guardian, according to the affidavit.

At the scene, troopers found a purse with a bottle of vodka and Lee’s driver’s license.

Lee was taken to Central Peninsula Hospital because of a high level of intoxication,according to the report.

On Wednesday charges of first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor were filed in Kenai District Court. Lee was arrested and taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility.

Lee told troopers the boy came up to her on a bicycle while she was walking on the sidewalk and asked her to have sex with him. She told the interviewing trooper she was intoxicated, according to the report.

Kidnapping and sexual assault in the first-degree are unclassified felonies and if convicted are punishable by 20 to 99 years in prison with a maximum fine of up to $500,000.

If convicted, she would have to register as a sex offender. Sexual abuse of a minor in the second-degree is a class B felony and carries a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $100,000.

Lee was arraigned in court Thursday and remains in custody.

Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Kenai Middle School Principal Vaughn Dosko points out elements of a redesign plan for the front of the school on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Work soon to begin on Kenai Middle security upgrades

The security upgrades are among several key KPBSD maintenance projects included in a bond approved by borough voters in October 2022.

The Kenai Fire Department headquarters are photographed on Feb. 13, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Kenai adds funds, authorizes contract for study of emergency services facility

The building shared by Kenai’s police and fire departments hasn’t kept up with the needs of both departments, chief says.

Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Best shows off a new inclusive seesaw at Kenai Municipal Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai awards contract to develop Parks and Rec master plan

The document is expected to guide the next 20 years of outdoors and recreation development in the city.

Balancing Act’s homepage for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. (Screenshot)
KPBSD launches ‘Balancing Act’ software, calls for public to balance $17 million deficit

The district and other education advocates have said that the base student allocation has failed to keep up with inflation.

Natural gas processing equipment is seen at Furie Operating Alaska’s central processing facility in Nikiski, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Harvest Alaska announces proposed redevelopment of Kenai LNG terminal

The project could deliver additional natural gas supplies to the Southcentral market as early as 2026, developers said.

A depth marker is almost entirely subsumed by the waters of the Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
After delay, borough adopts updated flood insurance maps

The assembly had previously postponed the legislation amid outcry from the Kenai River Keys Property Owners Association.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche points to where the disconnected baler ram has bent piping at the Central Peninsula Landfill in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough approves federal request to fund recycling redesign

A large baler that was used for recycling was recently left inoperable by a catastrophic failure in its main ram.

A person is detained in Anchorage in recent days by officials from the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (FBI Anchorage Field Office photo)
Trump’s immigration raids arrive in Alaska, while Coast Guard in state help deportations at southern US border

Anchorage arrests touted by FBI, DEA; Coast Guard plane from Kodiak part of “alien expulsion flight operations.”

Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist asks participants to kneel as a gesture to “stay grounded in the community” during a protest in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday focused on President Donald Trump’s actions since the beginning of his second term. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Trump protest rally at Alaska State Capitol targets Nazi-like salutes, challenges to Native rights

More than 120 people show up as part of nationwide protest to actions during onset of Trump’s second term.

Most Read