Man pleads not guilty to sexual abuse of minor charges

KENAI — An Anchorage man is accused with sexually abusing a minor in the Homer area.

Jacob Kemnitz, 30, was indicted on Nov. 23 with one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and five counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor for six events alleged to have happened from late 2011 through 2013, according to the indictment. The charges against Kemnitz reference one alleged victim, a boy under the age of 12 over the course of the alleged abuse.

Kemnitz entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment Tuesday in Kenai Superior Court.

The state requested a $50,000 cash performance bond and a third-party custodian as bail for Kemnitz, while his defense attorney, Daniel O’Phelan of Homer, asked Kenai Superior Court Judge Carl Bauman on Tuesday for a $10,000 bail agreement. Bauman took into consideration the fact that a warrant for Kemnitz’s arrest was never issued. A summons was issued but was canceled on Monday, according to online court records.

Assistant District Attorney Sam Scott said the state would still be requesting $50,000 for bail “based on the serious nature” of the charges against Kemnitz. The alleged victim’s mother appeared at the hearing over the phone and commented that she wanted a high bail amount set for Kemnitz.

Ultimately, Bauman set a $10,000 cash performance bond and an unsecured $50,000 appearance bond as bail, and gave Kemnitz until Dec. 12 to post it. Bauman said the matter of the third-party custodian or electronic monitoring ought to be taken up at a later hearing in front of Kenai Superior Court Judge Carl Huguelet, the assigned judge.

Kemnitz is not allowed to have contact with the alleged victim or his mother and is not allowed south of Anchor Point. O’Phelan told the court that Kemnitz had come to the hearing from Anchorage, where he currently lives.

Kemnitz’s next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10 in Kenai.

First-degree sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 13, an unclassified felony, is punishable by a presumptive range of 25-35 years in prison if it is a first-time felony. Second-degree sexual abuse of a minor is a class B felony and is punishable by a presumptive range of five to 15 years in prison if it is a first felony.

Kemnitz has property in Anchor Point, and he was involved with Anchor Point Emergency Medical Services, O’Phelan told the court.

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