Alaska closes case on fugitive sex offender

JUNEAU, ALASKA — Alaska prosecutors have closed the case of a 64-year-old convicted sex offender who fled before sentencing.

Southeast Alaska lodge owner Larry W. Berryhill was found dead Aug. 24 in Tunuyan, Argentina. He was a former pole vault coach at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Berryhill was convicted Feb. 27 in Juneau of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor. Prosecutors said he abused two underage male employees at his fishing lodge in Gustavus.

He faced five to 15 years in prison on each count but he did not appear for a sentencing hearing May 4, triggering a manhunt by Alaska authorities.

Berryhill "never served a day in jail for his offenses and never was sentenced for his crimes in a way that provided closure for his victims in Alaska," according to court papers filed last month by Juneau District Attorney Doug Gardner.

Alaska State Trooper investigators said Berryhill had traveled to New Zealand and Europe before making his way to Argentina.

"He died in very short proximity to the time the troopers identified he was hiding in Argentina and where exactly he was hiding," Gardner said.

A submitted obituary to newspapers in California, where he was born, said Berryhill died "unexpectedly of a heart attack."

A boy working at the Great Chinook Lodge reported to state troopers that he had been molested in June 2006. A second employee told investigators that Berryhill sexually abused him at the lodge in 2001. A grand jury indicted Berryhill in 2007.

Both victims testified during the trial that they were athletes who took summer jobs at the lodge for adventure and athletic instruction. Both testified that Berryhill sexually abused them during athletic massages at the lodge.

The Juneau Empire reported that Berryhill was from a prominent Republican political family in California. Two cousins represent districts in the California Assembly and a brother, Mike Berryhill, is running for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Gardner said it is uncommon for a convicted felon to flee before sentencing. The Alaska Legislature "dramatically increased" sentencing laws for sex crimes several years ago, Gardner said.

"As the penalties for the sex crimes have increased, I have to think the prospects of someone running would increase," he said. "That may be what happened in this case."

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Information from: Juneau Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com