A Sand Point man is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to the sexual abuse of two minors.

James Griffith is 26. He had been accused of molesting a seven-year-old boy during a babysitting job in 2011. The case moved slowly, and Griffith was granted a conditional release -- as long as he stayed away from children.

But Sand Point police arrested Griffith in December 2013 for exchanging electronic messages with a 15-year-old boy.

Sand Point police sergeant Michael Livingston says the messages showed evidence of sexual abuse.

"When kids are abused in small communities, it's difficult often for them to talk about what happened to them," Livingston says. "In this case, we felt it was best that the minor not be interviewed in Sand Point."

Instead, the Alaska State Troopers and several advocacy groups helped send the child to an abuse expert in Anchorage. During that meeting, the boy said that Griffith had been supplying him with marijuana in exchange for sexual contact.

Sgt. Livingston says the interview was admitted as evidence.

"It was a major tipping point," he says.

On Wednesday, Griffith entered a guilty plea in each of the two cases against him. It's had a big impact in Sand Point, according to Livingston.

"There's a big sigh -- a collective sigh of relief -- from many people in the community that have been following this case," he says. "People who know the parents, people who know the victims. And they're happy to see some closure to the case."

Griffith is being held at Goose Creek Correctional Facility outside Anchorage. He'll return to Sand Point in November for sentencing.