Kalispell Man Charged with Sexually Assaulting Teen

The former head of maintenance at Stillwater Christian School and a one-time volunteer with the South Kalispell Fire Department and Flathead County Sheriff’s Posse has been charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting an underage girl beginning when she was 13 years old.

William Henley Warricks, 45, was charged with felony sexual intercourse without consent on Monday. Warricks was arrested Wednesday afternoon and is being held at the Flathead County Detention Center on $50,000 bail.

According to charging documents, a woman called the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office in January to report a pattern of abuse that dated back more than six years. The victim said she was 13 when Warricks first assaulted her and that the assaults continued on multiple occasions. The charging documents also note that Warricks “reportedly” admitted to some of the abuse.

Warricks was employed by Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell as the head of maintenance for more than 12 years before resigning last month. Stillwater Christian Head of School Jeremy Marsh said Warricks resigned on Jan. 15, one day after the sheriff’s office informed the school of the investigation.

“We’re very saddened by the possibility that someone we trusted and served with at Stillwater may have committed this crime,” Marsh said. “But we also understand that he’s presumed innocent and I’ll be encouraging our families to avoid rumor and hearsay, and let the legal process work.”

Marsh characterized Warricks’ interaction with faculty, staff and students as “indirect” while performing his job duties, which included repair of school buildings, grounds and school-owned vehicles. Marsh said Warricks “served ably” in his role and had no disciplinary history. There is no indication that Warricks has been accused of any impropriety while on the job.

“With this event we’ve revisited our policies,” Marsh said. “We think they’re sound but we also want to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff. Of course we regret that this has happened and our heart goes out to all of those that may have been affected.”

Warricks also has a long history with local volunteer first-responder organizations, including the South Kalispell Fire Department and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Posse. Warricks served as the assistant chief of the South Kalispell Fire Department before resigning in December, a move Fire Chief Chris Yerkes said was unrelated to any criminal investigation.

Warricks volunteered with the sheriff’s posse from 2012-2015. Sheriff Brian Heino said there was no indication of any misconduct on Warricks’ part during his tenure.