(CNN) A man in Anchorage, Alaska, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who said he strangled her unconscious and sexually assaulted her. 
 
 The man then walked out of court with no prison sentence. 
 
 "But I would like the gentleman to be on notice that this is his one pass," prosecutor Andrew Grannik said in court Wednesday, CNN affiliate KTVA reported. "It's not really a pass, but given the conduct, one might consider that it is." 
 
 Justin Schneider, 34, was accused of kidnapping and assaulting the woman on August 15, 2017, strangling her until she lost consciousness and then masturbating on her, court documents show. 
 
 Grannik said Schneider had lost his job as an air traffic controller for the federal government as a result of the case. Grannik said that was a "life sentence," according to KTVA. 
 
 The criminal complaint said the victim, who did not know Schneider, told police she was at a gas station when he offered to give her a ride. The woman, who was attempting to get to her boyfriend's home, accepted. Schneider then drove the victim to another location and attacked her, she said. 
 
 At one point, Schneider told the victim he would kill her if she screamed, the complaint alleged. 
 
 "She said she could not fight him off, he was too heavy and had her down being choked to death," the complaint said. "(The victim) said she lost consciousness, thinking she was going to die." 
 
 When the victim woke up, she told police, "The man told her that he wasn't really going to kill her, that he needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be sexually fulfilled," the complaint says. 
 
 The victim recorded the plate number of Schneider's car as he drove off and she reported it to police. 
 
 'This can never happen again' 
 
 Schneider was charged with four felonies, including kidnapping and assault. He pleaded guilty to a single felony assault charge in the second degree in exchange for a sentence of two years with one suspended, plus three years probation. Schneider received credit for time served while wearing an ankle monitor and living with his wife and two children. 
 
 "I would just like to emphasize how grateful I am for this process," Schneider said, not mentioning the impact on the victim, KTVA reported. "It has given me a year to really work on myself and become a better person, and a better husband, and a better father, and I'm very eager to continue that journey." 
 
 Judge Michael Corey accepted the deal, noting the outcome of the case could be described as "breathtaking." He said his decision was based on the prospect of rehabilitation. 
 
 He also told Schneider, "This can never happen again." 
 
 The victim was not in court. 
 
 Grannik said he tried to tell her about the hearing but could not reach her. ||||| ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A group of Alaska residents vowed to launch a campaign against an Anchorage judge who sentenced no jail time to a man who was accused of offering a ride to a woman, choking her until she was unconscious and allegedly masturbating on her while she was unconscious. Justin Schneider, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of felony assault in the case, and Anchorage Superior Court Judge Michael Corey sentenced Schneider to two years with a year suspended. 
 
 A kidnapping charge was dropped as part of the plea deal. Schneider also received credit for a year he served under house arrest and will serve no additional time as long as he doesn't violate the conditions of his probation. 
 
 The case garnered national attention, and a Facebook group called NO retention for Judge Michael Corey, which has more than 2,000 likes, CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA-TV reports. 
 
 Elizabeth Williams, who started the Facebook group, told KTVA she had a visceral reaction when heard the verdict. 
 
 "I was just absolutely appalled that he was going to be out on the streets again, and that Alaskan women were again going to be let down by the justice system," Williams said. "I was also outraged that this woman didn't have a voice in the court proceeding, and that no one was advocating for her and no one was speaking for her needs including the judge." 
 
 Schneider choked an Alaska Native woman and then masturbated over her unconscious body, according to charging documents. He also told the woman he would kill her if she screamed, Anchorage police detective Brett Sarber wrote in a sworn affidavit. 
 
 The victim was not present or on the phone during the hearing. 
 
 Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Andrew Grannik said Wednesday that Schneider lost his job working for the federal government as a result of the case, a consequence he called a "life sentence," KTVA reports. 
 
 Grannik said he agreed to the plea deal based on Schneider's enrollment and progress in a treatment program, and an expert's assessment that the risk of him re-offending is low. 
 
 "I hope it doesn't happen," Grannik said. "That's the reason why I made the deal that I've made, because I have reasonable expectations that it will not happen. But I would like the gentleman to be on notice that that is his one pass -- it's not really a pass -- but given the conduct, one might consider that it is." 
 
 Corey accepted the deal, noting the outcome of the case could be described as "breathtaking," according to KTVA. He said his decision was based on the prospect of rehabilitation. 
 
 "Mr. Schneider is going to be a member of our community, and he would not be in jail for the rest of his life even if he had been convicted on all of the counts for which he was charged," Corey said. 
 
 He also told Schneider, "This can never happen again." 
 
 The sentence highlights a deeply flawed legal system, according to sexual assault advocates. 
 
 "This is another example of an Alaska native woman not getting the justice they deserve," Williams said. 
 
 A number of concerned citizens told the state law department that they also believed Schneider's sentence was too lenient. 
 
 The Alaska Department of Law stood by Corey's decision, and Criminal Division Director John Skidmore reviewed the case and said it was "consistent with, and reasonable, under current sentencing laws in Alaska." 
 
 Schneider did not have a criminal record prior to the incident. 
 
 Gov. Bill Walker agreed that the sentence was insufficient and said in a statement that he wants to toughen laws. 
 
 "I'm so mad, I can't see straight. I'm so angry," Anchorage resident Ann Septon told KTVA on Saturday. 
 
 "It's a complete disregard for what actually took place," said Anchorage resident Keeley Wilson. ||||| A Facebook campaign to stop an Anchorage Superior Court Judge from retaining his seat continues to grow, now up to almost 3,000 people. 
 
 This past Wednesday, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Michael Corey sentenced 34-year-old former air-traffic controller Justin Scott Schneider to no immediate time behind bars after approving a plea deal that dismissed a kidnapping charge and involved a conviction only on second-degree assault. 
 
 [RELATED: Outrage from Alaskans over Schneider plea deal, state says the law was followed] 
 
 Schneider was charged with offering a woman a ride and then tackling her, choking her until she became unconscious, then masturbating on her. Previous reports say the women felt like she was going to die. 
 
 [RELATED: Eagle River man indicted for assault and kidnapping (Aug. 17, 2017)] 
 
 This past June the Alaska Judicial Council recommended that Judge Corey retain his position and Corey said the job has been the most challenging and most rewarding of his career. 
 
 In his letter to the council the judge wrote: "For more than three years I have dedicated myself to becoming the best judicial officer possible. Every day, I strive to perpetuate the integrity and credibility of our judiciary. I am grateful that my placement in this position has been well received by most of who I come into contact. My goal is to be the type of judge before whom I once preferred to appear. I recognize that I will never reach perfection. However, such is my goal." 
 
 Before a recommendation, the Alaska Judicial Council asks numerous people, including lawyers, law enforcement, clerks and juries, about their experiences with the judge who's up for retention. 
 
 The judge's recommendation is based on the judge's legal ability, temperament, integrity, diligence and fairness. 
 
 "If the council decides, based on all the information, that the judge has met that, then the council makes a 'yes' recommendation," Susanne DiPietro, the executive director for the Alaska Judicial Council said, "and that is what the council did." 
 
 Judges are based on a scale of 1 to 5 with five being an excellent rating. Most of Judge Corey's numbers are 4s or 5s. 
 
 Still, the Department of Law heard from a number of people that the sentence imposed was too lenient. Criminal Division Director John Skidmore independently reviewed the case and concluded the sentence was consistent with, and reasonable, under current sentencing laws in Alaska. 
 
 "Though it is understandable that some feel his sentence was not sufficiently harsh," Skidmore said in a news release, "all prosecutors are ethically required to follow the law, no matter how disturbing the facts may be." 
 
 Skidmore's office wrote in that same news release that "contact with bodily fluid such as semen is not categorized as a sex crime under Alaska law." 
 
 This week during an update to the Public Safety Action Plan, Gov. Bill Walker says he will release legislation that makes causing unwanted contact with semen a sex offense. The penalty for a first-time offense carries jail time of 2 to 12 years and requires registration as a sex offender. 
 
 Channel 2 requested to speak with Judge Corey Monday morning but was told that because of the rules of judicial ethics, the judge is not giving interviews about his recent decision and he is also not speaking about his retention election at this time.
– An Alaska man ducked prison time Wednesday in a deal the presiding judge called "breathtaking." Justin Schneider, 34, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who says he strangled her unconscious and masturbated on her prone body, CNN reports. Charged with four felonies including assault and kidnapping, Schneider cut a plea deal for single felony assault. "But I would like the gentleman to be on notice that this is his one pass," prosecutor Andrew Grannik said in court, per KTVA. "It's not really a pass, but given the conduct, one might consider that it is." Schneider was accused of assaulting the woman in Anchorage in August 2017 after offering her a ride. "She said she could not fight him off, he was too heavy and had her down being choked to death," the complaint reads. "[The victim] said she lost consciousness, thinking she was going to die," per the complaint. When she awoke, he was zipping up and "told her that he wasn't really going to kill her, that he needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be sexually fulfilled." So why the plea deal? Schneider lost his job as an air traffic controller, which Grannik called a "life sentence." And Judge Michael Cory, who called the deal "breathtaking," said he hoped Schneider could be rehabilitated. As for Schneider, he offered no apology and said he "would just like to emphasize how grateful I am for this process." He was sentenced to two years, one suspended, and received credit for time spent at home with his family. The assault survivor did not show up for trial.