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Mekoryuk man convicted of numerous sex assault crimes against minors

The Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center is seen in Bethel, Alaska.
Alaska Department of Correcions
The Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center is seen in Bethel, Alaska.

A Mekoryuk man has been convicted of numerous felony sex assault crimes against minors in the Nunivak Island community.

Fifty-seven-year-old Leonard Olrun has been convicted of sexually abusing three children aged 13 to 14 in Mekoryuk in 2020 and 2021, according to a press release from the state. The crimes came to light through interviews conducted at a children’s advocacy center in Bethel and a corresponding investigation by the Alaska State Troopers.

Following a two-week trial in Bethel Superior Court, a jury found Olrun guilty on March 27 of two counts of first-degree sexual assault, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, five counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, and six counts of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor. Olrun was also found guilty of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance for providing marijuana to a child.

According to the state, Olrun was previously convicted of second-degree sexual assault in 1987, third-degree sexual abuse of a minor in 2002, and coercion in 2015.

Olrun’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 11 in Bethel Superior Court. He faces a maximum sentence of 614 years in prison.

Evan Erickson is a reporter at KYUK who has previously worked as a copy editor, audio engineer and freelance journalist.