An Anchorage judge has dismissed a serious case against Ed Sniffen, who was charged in January 2021 with sexual abuse of a minor in an event that allegedly occurred 30 years earlier.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Peter Ramgren determined that due to the length of time that has passed, there was not enough probable cause to continue the case against Sniffen, who had been a mock trial coach for West Anchorage High School at the time of the alleged incident, involving a student who was a 17-year-old and Sniffen, who was 27 years old.
Sniffen had been with the Alaska Department of Law for many years when he was named acting attorney general following the resignation of Kevin Clarkson, who had been accused of having an inappropriate texting relationship with a state employee.
According to reports, the woman made the accusation against Sniffen not long after he had been named acting attorney general. Some have speculated that this late-coming accusation was a politically motivated action aimed at hurting Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who was the target of an attempted recall at the time.
Sniffen resigned from his position at the State after being contacted about the allegations by the Anchorage Daily News, which has been critical of the Dunleavy Administration for the duration of his time in the Governor’s Office.
