Crime & Courts

Anchorage probation officer accused of using corrections database to sexually harass woman

An Anchorage probation officer is facing numerous felony charges after he was accused of using a confidential state database to keep tabs on a woman he previously supervised during her probationary period.

The state Office of Special Prosecutions filed charges against Joshua Kopp, 52, last week.

Kopp “was taken out of active service as soon as leadership learned of the allegations,” Betsy Holley, a spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Corrections, said Tuesday. She did not answer a question asking whether Kopp’s leave was paid. He has been employed as an Anchorage probation officer for 10 years, she said.

The woman who had been supervised by Kopp during her probation raised concerns about his behavior and spoke with the chief probation officer in April, according to a summary of police reports included with the charges. Kopp was the woman’s probation officer until December 2023, the summary said.

During his time as her probation officer, the woman said Kopp made multiple unwanted sexual advances toward her and seemed to keep track of her whereabouts even after he was no longer supervising her, the summary said.

Kopp had access through his work accounts to a confidential database used to store information about booking, incarceration and probation, the summary said. An audit of his accounts showed he used the database to access information about the woman at least 10 times after she was transferred to another probation officer, it said.

Kopp was charged on Nov. 18 with eight felony counts of criminally using a computer to obtain information and eight misdemeanor counts of misuse of confidential information. Court records did not show a date for his first hearing by Tuesday afternoon.

Kopp declined to comment on the charges when reached by phone.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter focusing on breaking news and public safety. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

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