A Flathead County man has been sent to the Montana State Prison two years after he was accused of raping two teenage girls.
Noah Lavern Powell appeared on July 7 at a sentencing hearing in Flathead County District Court.
Powell was given a 40-year sentence to the Montana State Prison with 30 years suspended after he pleaded guilty to one count of felony sexual assault in May. He was also given credit for time served and has been designated a level II sex offender.
According to court documents, the Kalispell Police Department received a report of an assault on June 18, 2015 from a mother who said Powell victimized her daughter. The 11-year-old girl told authorities that Powell had touched her on multiple occasions the previous year. The girl also said that Powell allegedly told her “don’t tell anybody what I’m going to do to you” prior to assaulting her.
The report of the assault on the 11-year-old came the same month Powell was charged with sexual intercourse without consent following an incident with a 13-year-old girl in late 2014.
In that case, the girl told authorities that her mother was dating Powell at the time and in early October she spent time at his home in Kila. During one of those visits, Powell gave the girl alcohol and marijuana before raping her while she was intoxicated.
Powell pleaded not guilty to both counts of felony sexual assault with intercourse.
This spring, Powell signed a plea agreement where he would plead guilty to an amended charge of sexual assault in the case involving the 13-year-old girl. The case involving the 11-year-old was dismissed.