Former Alaska State Trooper sentenced to serve 4 years for attempted sexual abuse of a minor

A former Alaska State Trooper found guilty of attempted sexual abuse of a minor earlier this year was sentenced this week to serve four years in prison, state officials say.

Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson on Wednesday sentenced 63-year-old Vance Peronto to eight years with four years suspended for his conviction on one count of second-degree attempted sexual abuse of a minor, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Law.

The case stemmed from a 2018 incident in which Peronto showed up to what he thought was an Anchorage hotel date to meet with a 16-year-old girl, according to charges filed in the case that year. Peronto was a 16-year veteran of the troopers when he first met the teenager after he pulled her over for driving without headlights on the Kenai Peninsula. The “date” was actually arranged by a troopers investigator after the girl’s father contacted authorities.

Peronto arrived at the hotel in his patrol car and was arrested by troopers assisted by members of the Anchorage Police Department SWAT team, troopers said at the time.

Prosecutors asked for the sentence Peterson ultimately handed down, arguing in part that his “status as a trooper played a large part in his offense which makes this case particularly serious,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed by the state. Peronto asked for either a probationary sentence or a sentence of two years to serve, the law department said.

Peronto will be on probation for seven years after serving his sentence and must register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from probation supervision, according to the Department of Law.

He was in custody at Cook Inlet Pretrial Facility as of Thursday.