William John Sorenson Convicted of Two Counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree

November 9, 2026

(Anchorage, AK) - On Nov. 9, 2026, 49-year-old William John Sorenson pled guilty to two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree. He will receive a sentence of 50 years with 25 years suspended for each count. 10 years will run consecutively for a total of 35 years of active jail time to serve.

The convictions stemmed from conduct occurring from 2003 through 2018 in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Sorenson would befriend single or divorced mothers, then when he was entrusted with their children, he would engage in sexual penetration or sexual contact with the children. The sexual abuse of his victims was ongoing until the children made a report or eventually moved away from him. The age of his victims ranged from approximately 4 years old to approximately 15 years old, and there are 7 known victims who came forward.

This case was initiated in 2018 when one of Sorenson's victims reported the sexual abuse to the Anchorage Police Department. During the course of that investigation, detectives found 3 other victims who had reported sexual abuse in the early 2000s in Fairbanks. Sorenson was charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse of a minor for all reports. After this case was initiated, 3 more victims came forward and those charges were also added to the case.

As part of the plea, Sorenson admitted to sexually abusing each of the seven reporting victims, some of them for years. He is being held in the custody of the Department of Corrections. He will be sentenced for two consolidated counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree on April 6, 2027.

This case would not have been possible without the bravery of the victims in coming forward. The matter was investigated by the Anchorage Police Department's Crimes Against Children Unit and the Alaska State Trooper's Alaska Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by the Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Tylor Schmitt and Assistant Attorney General Amy Wang with the Office of Special Prosecutions, with the Assistance of Paralegals John Oulton and Ana Azpilcuetabalsimelli.

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at [email protected] or (907) 269-6269.

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