This story is about sexual assault and contains details some may find disturbing.
Kelsey James McCay, age 31, will serve a decade in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in Petersburg in 2019.
Complications from the pandemic and backlog at the state’s only forensic lab delayed pressing charges against McCay, according to Assistant District Attorney Jessalyn Gillum.
“Sexual assault cases can be very difficult,” said Gillum. “I think there’s a duty on behalf of really everybody to ensure that if [forensic] evidence exists and can be tested, that it be done prior to any charges being brought. So [the victim] was patient.”
A jury found McCay guilty on Oct. 31, 2024 — nearly five years after committing the crime.
McCay was sentenced in a hearing at the Petersburg Courthouse on Feb. 25, 2025. Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand considered several factors, like criminal history and impacts on the victim and community, when deciding his sentence.
“The impact that an offense like this has in terms of [the victim’s] everyday life, and sort of the ripple effect in terms of her ability to feel safe in her community or in her relationships … that, coupled with the seriousness of the offense … are things that I need to weigh heavily,” Lybrand said.
Lybrand noted that McCay had a prior sex offense conviction predating his adult felony conviction. She said it was also “particularly striking” that he committed this sexual offense in 2019 while on probation for a different felony drug offense. Lybrand also considered his sobriety and rehabilitation in recent years.
In September 2019, McCay sexually assaulted an incapacitated woman at a house party when she was asleep. The victim testified at the sentencing hearing about her experience, sharing that she still feels the fear and pain five years later.
Lybrand said the person who McCay sexually assaulted had every right to expect she’d be safe drinking at a friend’s home.
“It wasn’t her decisions that ultimately led to this … it was Mr. McKay’s decision to commit the assault that ultimately led to this,” Lybrand stated.
Lybrand sentenced McCay to 10 years of incarceration, followed by another decade of felony probation. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years after completing his probation.
McKay apologized at the sentencing.
“If I could take the whole night back, I definitely would,” he said. “I’m truly sorry for my actions.”
In the week immediately following his sentencing, McCay has remained in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Facility in Juneau.
For more information about reporting sexual violence, as well as resources for victims, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at: (800)656-4673. Locally, people can call WAVE at: (907)772-9283.
