Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Kirk Schwalm accepted the sentence Monday for a Fairbanks youth pastor convicted of a felony child sex abuse charge last year.
David Duffett, 47, pleaded guilty in August to a reduced count of attempted second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. That was in exchange for an agreed-upon sentence of six years to serve and 15 years of probation. He must also register as a sex offender for 15 years upon release.
Duffett was charged in 2023 for having repeated sexual encounters with a 16-year-old girl in 2008. He was 29 and working as a youth pastor at Bible Baptist Church in Fairbanks, which the victim attended.
State prosecutor Caitlyn Pierson noted Duffett doesn’t have a criminal history, but she said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and will act as a deterrent for the defendant in the future.
“He was in a position of power. He was a youth pastor, and the person that he preyed upon was one of the very people in those youth groups in his church,” Pierson said. “She had to suffer in silence for years, and finally was brave enough to come forward.”
The age of sexual consent in Alaska is 16 years old in many cases, but not when someone is in a position of authority over another. In that case, it’s 18.
Defense Attorney Bill Satterberg didn’t argue against the prison sentence for Duffett Monday. But he said his client initially believed the sexual encounters with the victim were legal because she was 16.
“But the point is, obviously, that’s not the law,” he said. “The law has been set up to protect minors, and people need to know that – people in supervisory positions, whether they’re counselors, teachers, employers.”
A bill currently in the state legislature proposes raising the age of consent from 16 to 18, with some exceptions based on the relative age of two people. The bill passed the House last year and has been sent to the Senate for consideration.
A representative of the victim read a statement in court Monday, saying Duffett used his charisma and position in the church to deceive and manipulate her. In brief remarks during the hearing, Duffett apologized for the pain he caused the victim and her family, as well as his own family and friends.
The victim is also suing Duffett and Bible Baptist Church in a separate case. That lawsuit, which was filed Jan. 6, claims the church has created an environment that allows men in power to abuse church members.