Sexual Abuse

David Benjamin Wick, Sr., 44, of Lame Deer, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to sexual abuse of a minor.

Dean Alan Smith, 67, guilty of aggravated sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact by force, and 2 counts of abusive sexual contact by force and of a child.

An attorney for Edward Harold Ghostbear used one of his six peremptory challenges to remove the juror and later used all of his challenges.

19-year-old Keagan Shearer of Helena is accused of having nude images of underage girls on his phone and faces a felony charge of sexual abuse of children. Shearer has been under adult supervision since March for sexual abuse without consent...

Amid revelations on Tuesday of sexual abuse by more than 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania, a federal bankruptcy judge in Montana approved a $20 million settlement between the Diocese of Great Falls/ Billings and several dozen survivors of sexual abuse...

The Gazette reports that a Billings residential treatment center for troubled youth failed to keep a 10-year-old boy safe from sexual abuse by other residents, even after facility staff assured his mother it wouldn’t happen. A civil negligence trial got underway Thursday in the 13th Judicial District Court in the case against the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch...

37-year-old Joshua Burley of Billings has been convicted of sexually abusing two young girls seven years ago.  Burley was found guilty of two felony sex crimes against children, who were 5 and 13 years old at the time.  He could be imprisoned for the rest of his life with a parole restriction of up to 50 years...

45-year-old Chad Meeks has been charged with sexual assault after an elementary school student told school officials he abused her, according to charging documents.  Meeks appeared Monday in Yellowstone County Justice Court where Justice of the Peace David Carter set bond at $150,000...

A 27-year-old man is accused of sending sexually explicit photographs to a 14-year-old girl.  Stephan Gregory Burress, was charged Monday in Yellowstone County Justice Court with sexual abuse of children.  Justice of the Peace David Carter ordered Burress held in lieu of $100,000 bond and had him placed on GPS monitoring should he be released...

Enrollment at the University of Montana for spring semester have showed a continued decline, especially in out-of-state and international students.