Judge sentences Darold Love to 60 years for sexual assault

A Kenai man who sexually assaulted a child living in his home, causing her pregnancy and the birth of a child, will spend 60 years in prison. Superior Court Judge Jason Gist handed down the sentence on Aug. 14, well above the presumptive range of 35 to 45 years, imposing 77 years with 17 suspended. Darold Greg Love, 67, is ineligible for mandatory or discretionary parole, the Alaska Department of Law said in a press release issued Thursday.

A jury convicted Love in March of first-degree sexual assault and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. The child had been living with Love and his wife, the department said. Love was convicted in 2001 of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor after an investigation found he had sexually abused other children in his care.

The victim spoke at sentencing about how the assault continues to affect her relationships and her ability to trust or feel safe with people she loves. Two of Love's biological children described the abuse's effects across generations of their family. Gist found multiple aggravating factors, including that the conduct met the standard for "most serious" because Love took advantage of an extremely vulnerable teenager who had experienced significant instability and "had nowhere else to go."

Alaska law allows terms up to 99 years for first-degree sexual assault. The Alaska Supreme Court, in Yako Collins v. State in May 2025, ruled that any variance from a presumptive range must rest on statutory aggravating or mitigating factors, and that judges cannot go below the low end of a range without a proven mitigator. A 2022 legal text on Alaska criminal law notes first-degree sexual assault already carries presumptive ranges of 20 to 30 years for a first felony offender.

Investigator Chad Larsen of the Kenai Police Department led the case, with help from the Chattanooga Police Department and the Sequatchie County Sheriff's Department. Liz Reid, an advocate with the Kenaitze Tribe Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program, supported the victim through trial and sentencing. Assistant Attorney General Julie Matucheski prosecuted, assisted by paralegal Julie Craig and Law Office Assistant Patrick Pilatti.

The department's release contains no statement from Love or his defense, and this account reflects only that single source.

Case records are available through the Alaska Court System.