A former Nome Public Schools’ employee, who was a suspect in a case of sexual abuse of a minor, has been arrested.
On Friday, NPD released a statement that Jake Wagner had been taken into custody at Ted Steven’s Anchorage International Airport.
“We received information that he was willing to turn himself in. And we notified the airport police because warrants were on file, just in case Mr. Wagner would have changed his mind. And that’s why he was apprehended in the (Anchorage) airport.”
– Interim Chief Mike Heintzelman
Wagner was reportedly scheduled to fly back to Nome on Alaska Airlines’ flight 151 that morning.
Wagner, a Behavioral Support Specialist for the Nome school district, was originally investigated by the Nome Police about a month ago while he was working for NPS. On February 24th, NPD issued a warrant for Wagner’s arrest related to three charges, two of which were sexual abuse of a minor. At that point, the former NPS employee had already left town causing Nome Police to put a call out for information on Wagner’s whereabouts.
He is currently being held at a correctional facility in Anchorage, however Heintzelman says he expects Wagner will eventually be transferred to Anvil Mountain Correctional Center in Nome. The suspect must first finish his 14-day quarantine, as he recently traveled to Alaska from the Lower 48.
According to NPD, the investigation in this case is ongoing.
Image at top: Nome Police Department vehicle parked in town. File photo from Matthew F. Smith, KNOM.
