A man is charged with sexually abusing a minor near Soldotna in 2019

A man who once lived in the Soldotna area has been charged with sexually abusing a minor there in 2019, Alaska State Troopers said.

Jonas Perletti, 31, was charged July 10 with one count of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor. The case began in February 2025, when troopers received a report of past abuse and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation. By the time investigators identified Perletti, he had moved to Utah. Troopers said they contacted him there and that he confessed to the abuse.

Under Alaska law, third-degree sexual abuse of a minor is a class C felony — defined as sexual contact by a person 17 or older with a minor who is 13 to 15 years old and at least four years younger. A conviction is a registerable sex offense, meaning it would place a person on the state's sex offender registry.

The years between the alleged offense and the charge are not unusual in cases like this. Childhood sexual abuse is often reported long after it happens, sometimes many years later, and investigations into events from years earlier can take time to build.

A charge is only the beginning of a case, not a finding of guilt. Perletti is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.