Former Bethel elementary school principal Christopher Carmichael’s federal sentencing hearing is set to begin July 13 at 9 a.m. The hearing will be held in Anchorage.
Carmichael, age 57, has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. He was arrested by the FBI’s child exploitation task force in December 2019 after being reported to police for molesting a former student who was a minor.
Prosecutors are calling for a sentence of 40 years in prison followed by life supervision. They say that he used his position of power as a principal to prey on children. Carmichael’s attorneys are asking for a lesser sentence of 15 years in prison followed by life supervision. They cite abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his stepfather, PTSD from serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, and his willingness to undergo treatment for his sexual attraction to children.
The hearing is set to begin July 13 at 9 a.m. You can listen live by calling into a public phone number. That number is 888-808-6929 with access code 8223146#.
Carmichael has also pleaded guilty to a state charge of sexual abuse of a minor, with state sentencing scheduled for July 21 in Bethel.
