An Anchorage man was sentenced in court Friday afternoon for sexually abusing at least one student during his time as a teacher in several schools in Alaska.
David Schwantes, 74, was sentenced to six years in prison with four suspended by Superior Court Judge Michael Wolverton. Schwantes, who was originally charged with six counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor in March.
The case against Schwantes began when former student, now an adult, came forward to police about being sexually abused by his Mt. Spurr Elementary School teacher in the late-’80s and ’90s. Schwantes worked as a third- and fourth-grade teacher at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson school between 1968 and 1993, according to a statement from Anchorage police.
Schwantes also worked as a substitute teacher for the Anchorage School District between 1993 and 1996, and was an after-school activities teacher at Muldoon Elementary School for the 1999-2000 school year.
Where he worked as a teacher was important to police because of the potential for more victims, some of whom may have left the state, APD spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said in a statement.
