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Soldotna Major Crimes arrests man for possessing child sex abuse materials

Elyssa Loughlin
/
KYUK

A note, this story contains information some may find disturbing.

Alaska State Troopers arrested a man on Wednesday they say possessed more than 1,000 images and videos of child sex abuse material. Thirty-nine-year-old Dawson Hermanns faces ten felony counts of possession of child pornography.

Hermanns’ arrest came after a family member contacted the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Soldotna’s Major Crimes Unit to report she’d found a thumb drive containing pictures and videos that showed sexual acts against children as young as two years old and animals, according to charging documents.

State troopers monitored a text conversation between Hermanns and the family member, during which he said the files were from his drive. According to charging documents, Hermanns suggested he and the family member destroy the drive.

Charging documents say investigators with Soldotna’s Major Crimes Unit later detained Hermanns at his workplace. During a subsequent interview with investigators, Hermanns said the drive was his and that it contained child sexual abuse material, according to charging documents.

Hermanns was taken to Wildwood Pre-Trial Facility on ten felony charges of possession of child pornography. State troopers say the investigation is ongoing and that Hermanns may face additional charges. In Alaska, Class C felonies carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

Prior to joining KDLL's news team in May 2024, O'Hara spent nearly four years reporting for the Peninsula Clarion in Kenai. Before that, she was a freelance reporter for The New York Times, a statehouse reporter for the Columbia Missourian and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. You can reach her at aohara@kdll.org