Press Release

Eric Peterson Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Abuse of a Minor

September 4, 2025

(Palmer, AK) – Today, Palmer Superior Court Judge Tom Jamgochian sentenced 41-year-old Eric Peterson to serve 30 years after being convicted of two consolidated counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree.

Peterson will have additional suspended time and a 15-year probationary term following incarceration. Peterson will have to register as a sex offender for life. Peterson originally pleaded guilty in April 2025 and also admitted to a vulnerable victim aggravator.

Peterson was sentenced pursuant to a plea agreement consolidating his charges. Peterson’s convictions stemmed from multiple incidents of sexual abuse of a young girl from 2017-2019. Judge Jamgochian remarked the sexual abuse inflicted lasting harm on the victim.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Wininger-Howard prosecuted this case. The case was investigated by the Alaska State Troopers.

CONTACT: Assistant District Attorney, Melissa Wininger-Howard at 907-761-5648 or Melissa.Howard@Alaska.gov

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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 are no longer posting links to the briefs. Please refer to the Supreme Court’s Docket Search or PACER for all federal briefs. Any briefs that are not otherwise publicly available are available upon request through law.recordsrequest@alaska.gov.