A former University of Alaska Anchorage employee was sentenced Friday for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl.
Steven Pyle, 49, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by Anchorage Superior Court Judge Philip R. Volland. He pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual abuse of a minor last year.
Pyle was arrested after his wife told police he had been inappropriately touching a 9-year-old daughter of friends, who had come to stay with them. She recorded a confession from Pyle, which she turned over to police, according to court documents. Pyle and his wife were foster parents for nearly a decade before the incident occurred.
“I apologize for the shame, the pain, and the disappointment I caused them,” Pyle told Judge Volland in court Friday. “Your honor, I promise to do everything in my power to get to the root of the problem.”
Volland suspended five years of Pyle’s sentence. He must serve 10 years probation when released from prison.
The child is back with her parents.
KTVA 11′s Megan Mazurek contributed to this story.