Press Release

Kenai Jury Found Kelly David Crane Guilty of 4 Felony Sexual Offenses

November 2, 2023

(Kenai, AK) – On Oct. 26, 2023, following a three-week trial, a Kenai jury found 61-year-old Kelly David Crane guilty of four felony sexual offenses, including one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree, one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree, and two counts of Attempted Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree.

The convictions related to acts Crane committed against three of his granddaughters over the course of the summer and fall of 2019. The victims were ages 4, 10, and 12 at the time of the offenses. The jury heard from 15 total witnesses across 15 total trial days. The jury returned the above verdicts after deliberating for three days.

Following his conviction, Crane was remanded into custody of the Department of Corrections pending a sentencing hearing that has been scheduled for April 5, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. Crane faces a presumptive sentence of 25 to 35 years on the single count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree alone and a maximum sentence of 99 years for each of his four convictions.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Julie Matucheski and Assistant District Attorney Sam Scott. The Alaska State Troopers conducted the investigation.

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.

Due to resource constraints, we no longer post links to referenced records. Records filed in a federal court are readily available at Docket Search or PACER, and records filed in a State of Alaska court are readily available from the Alaska Court System (Trial Courts - Alaska Court System and Search for an Appellate Case). Contact Sam Curtis to request a referenced record that is not readily available from a court or on the internet, or contact law.recordsrequest@alaska.gov to submit a formal Alaska Public Records Act request.