Kodiak monk arrested for sexual abuse of a child

A monk associated with the Russian Orthodox Church turned himself in to the Kodiak Police Department, to report that he had sexually abused an 8-year-old child, according to the state Department of Law. 

The department said in a statement Friday that 59 year-old Evan P. Nicolai has been charged with second-degree sexual abuse of a minor., He faces up to 99 years in prison if convicted. According to the department of law, when Nicolai turned himself in to police, he was accompanied by the abused child’s parent and a priest of the Kodiak Russian Orthodox Church.

As a monk, Nicolai was provided with housing by the church. Police say  Nicolai had stayed in Russian Orthodox locations in Anchorage, Bethel, Eklutna, Homer, Kaktovik, and a monastery an hour outside of Phoenix, Arizona.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case or other potential victims to contact Detective Sergeant Kathleen Gambling at 907-486-8000 or kgambling@city.kodiak.ak.us.

Nicolai remains in jail and must post $50,000 bail before he’s released, says the Department of Law. His next court date is scheduled for mid-October in Kodiak.