A military recruiter got jail time and community service for an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old Bend High sSchool student who wanted to join the Navy.

Trace Oliver Harris, 28, remains in the Navy, his lawyer said following his sentencing hearingThursday in Deschutes County Circuit Court, where he was convicted of felony coercion and the misdemeanors of furnishing alcohol to a minor and reckless endangering.

Harris was assigned to serve 45 days in jail and three years probation, perform 200 hours of community service, as well as pay a $10,000 compensatory fine for the victim’s therapy to date. He will surrender the $5,000 he posted as bond after his August 2019 arrest.

The victim in this case, Annette Gunderson, told The Bulletin she was told by prosecutors that had the case gone to trial, it likely wouldn’t have taken place until 2022 due to the COVID-caused court backlog.

“Just waiting for this has been mentally draining,” Gunderson told The Bulletin. “(Going to trial) would be awful, because I’d have to be going to court for something that happened to me in high school, and I’d be 22 years old. And even then, it might not end in 2022.”

Gunderson said she chose to go public with her identity because she feels Harris’ sentence is too light and she wants to draw attention to sexual abuse in the military.

“I want to raise awareness about the corruption in the military and what happened to me and to others who report sexual abuse,” she said.

Plea deals do not require a victim’s approval, though victims are frequently consulted during plea negotiations.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said the COVID-19-related court delays represent a “double-whammy” in Deschutes County, where the court is already in dire need of at least one more judge.

“It impacts a lot of people. In this case, it impacted the victim,” Hummel said. “She gave up fighting. She was worn down.”

In the summer of 2017, a 17-year-old Gunderson went with her mother to the Navy recruiting station at Bend River Plaza. The mother expressed concerns about sexual assault in the military.

The recruiter on duty, Harris, then 26, walked them through the Navy’s sexual assault policy.

“She signed paperwork indicating she was under 18, so the defendant was aware,” said prosecutor Rosalie Matthews, a deputy district attorney for the county.

Soon, Harris started sending flirtatious texts to Gunderson. One night, he drove her to his house, where he gave her alcohol and pressured her to have sex. Over the next few months, they had several similar encounters.

During basic training, Gunderson disclosed to a superior that Harris had personal information about her and was threatening to tell others in the Navy about her.

Gunderson went to police in 2018 after she heard Harris was harassing other recruits.

Under the terms of Harris’ negotiated plea agreement, he will not have to register as a sex offender so long as he doesn’t violate probation.

In the afternoon Thursday, Harris appeared in Courtroom G wearing a white button down shirt and blue tie and was accompanied by his mother. He declined to address the court when asked, but Gunderson read a victim impact statement that included a poem.

She said her superiors in the Navy did not believe her account, and because she was medically discharged for having borderline personality disorder, she isn’t eligible for treatment through Veterans Affairs. Gunderson said she doesn’t have a borderline personality disorder, though she has a diagnosis for PTSD.

Today, she’s preparing to enter massage school and is in a much better place, she said.

“I’d love to say that I’m not a victim, I’m a survivor,” she said.