At least six local men have been arrested and charged with sexual abuse of children in connection with an online investigation that ended on Thursday.
According to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, there were seven men arrested total, and six of them were from the Kalispell area. Sheriff Chuck Curry reported that one of the suspects is a part-time youth pastor.
Curry confirmed the names of the local men as Justin Allen Zeiss, Benjamin David Emrich, Christopher Paul Adams, Karl Cilroy Wortley, Joshua Frederick Naethe, Daniel Anthony Hall, and Missoula resident Curtis Foster.
Court records indicate the investigation involved an undercover operation, with an ICAC agent posing as a woman offering up a 12-year-old girl for sex, and then arresting the men who communicated with the agent and showed up at a residence to engage is sexual conduct with the girl.
The Flathead County Attorney’s Office reported that all of the men will be charged with felony sexual abuse of children, which carries a maximum penalty of 100 years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000.
More arrests are pending as a result of the online, proactive investigation, which began Aug. 18 and ended Aug. 21.
The sheriff’s office’s investigation was performed in conjunction with the Montana ICAC Task Force, which has conducted five of these types of investigations in Montana. From July 2013 to date, there have been 32 arrests of Montana residents during similar investigations, and those numbers do not include people arrested during daily operations.
Other agencies that participated include the Kalispell Division of HSI; DHS Denver, Colorado Division; The U.S. Border Patrol; Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Agency; Missoula Police Department; Great Falls Police Department; Montana Division of Criminal Investigations and Forensics Computer Lab; Montana Department of Corrections / Probation & Parole; Blaine County Sheriff’s Office; Helena Police Department; Billings Police Department; and Two Bear Air.
This is a developing story. There will be updates as they are made available.