Texas man arrested in Wasilla for sexual abuse of a minor, troopers say

Content Warning: This article contains information about alleged sexual abuse that might be difficult for some readers.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A Texas man was arrested in Wasilla and charged with sexual abuse of a minor after connecting with a juvenile online.

According to a dispatch from Alaska State Troopers, 37-year-old Fernando Bejar Jr. of San Antonio, Texas traveled to Wasilla to meet with a juvenile he met “through an online gaming system.”

“On February 6, 2023, the Alaska State Troopers were notified that a juvenile female had left her residence in Wasilla,” Troopers wrote. “Troopers further learned that Bejar sexually abused the juvenile on the evening that she ran away.”

Troopers wrote that the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit — based in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough as a specialized team within the bureau — took over the case, and Bejar was arrested a day later on Feb. 7.

“They assist with complex child abuse cases across the Alaska State Trooper area of responsibility,” Department of Public Safety Communications Director Austin McDaniel wrote in an email.

McDaniel said that Bejar was arrested at a hotel in the Wasilla area. According to online court records, he is charged with second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, resources are available on the Standing Together Against Rape (STAR) website or by calling the statewide crisis hotline at 1-800-478-8999.

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, resources are available on the Alaska Children’s Alliance and Alaska Children’s Trust websites. To report abuse or neglect, call the state’s hotline at 1-800-478-4444 or the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.

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