Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced 63-year-old Vance Peronto to eight years with four years suspended for a conviction of one count of attempted sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree.
Peronto was found guilty by a jury following a trial in March 2023. Peronto will be on probation for seven years after serving his sentence and must register as a sex offender for fifteen years following his release from probation supervision.
Peronto’s conviction followed an investigation conducted by members of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation (“ABI”) in April 2018 after receiving a report of inappropriate contact between 16-year-old R.P. and then Trooper Peronto. ABI investigators learned that Peronto conducted a traffic stop involving the minor, reached out to her over social media after the stop, and continued to speak with her to establish a relationship. ABI’s investigation revealed that over a period of several weeks, Peronto sent extensive private, sexual comments to the minor and at times asked her to send him photographs.
Eventually, an ABI investigator, posing as the victim, used a social media account to arrange for Peronto to meet “her” at a hotel. On the designated day, Peronto arrived at the hotel and was immediately arrested. A search of Peronto during his arrest revealed recently purchased Victoria’s Secret underwear.
The victim and her father spoke at sentencing. Both emphasized that Peronto’s actions were a stark deviation from the type of conduct that they expected from what should be a trusted member of law enforcement.
At sentencing, Assistant Attorney General Chris Darnall asked the court to impose a sentence of eight years with four years suspended. He argued that such a sentence is necessary even in the absence of any criminal history or in the face of positive prospects for rehabilitation due to the strong need to reaffirm societal norms, given the facts of this case. The prosecutor stressed that members of law enforcement must be held especially accountable when they commit serious crimes because otherwise Alaskans could lose faith in the entire criminal justice system.
AAG Darnall also argued that the court’s sentence should focus on general deterrence given Peronto’s former profession. He pointed out that officers are trusted to investigate crime, have substantial power over the lives of others, and, at times, work with little supervision. Thus, he urged the court to emphasize with its sentence that any law enforcement officer who is caught committing a crime will receive a substantial sanction.
For his part, Peronto argued that his conduct was “least serious” and asked the court to impose either a probationary sentence or a sentence of two years to serve.
Judge Peterson rejected Peronto’s proposed mitigator, his request for a reduced sentence, and agreed with the state’s sentencing recommendation. In doing so, the judge emphasized the twin sentencing goals of general deterrence and the reaffirmation of societal norms. Judge Peterson pointed out that general deterrence should be especially effective in this case as it is likely every Trooper in the state will learn of Peronto’s sentence. And he emphasized that the particular sentence was necessary at least in part because the Alaska community must be able to trust that members of law enforcement will not, themselves, violate the law.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Chris Darnall and Assistant Attorney General Sarah Grieb of the Office of Special Prosecutions and investigated by the Alaska Bureau of Investigations.
Original source can be found here.