C-Falls man sentenced for sex with young girl

A 19-year-old Columbia Falls man who admitted having sex with a 13-year-old girl when he was 17 was sentenced to two years with the Department of Corrections followed by eight years probation.

In sentencing Ryan Taylor on March 21, Flathead County District Court Judge David Ortley recommended Taylor be placed in the Treasure State Correctional Training Center for a 90-120 day boot camp program that includes classes on victimology, criminal thinking errors and anger management, along with substance abuse treatment and academic schooling.

If Taylor successfully completes the program, the remainder of his time with DOC will be suspended. Ortley also designated Taylor a Tier 1 sex offender, indicating the lowest risk for committing another sexual offense.

According to court records, Kalispell police officers investigating a theft learned from the young girl that she had been having sex with Taylor in her sister’s room over a two-week period in October 2012. The girl said Taylor knew she was only 13.

When interviewed by police, Taylor allegedly said he had told a friend that he felt like a child molester and regretted what had happened.

Following state statute, the county attorney’s office chose to charge Taylor as an adult, and a juvenile charge was dismissed as part of a June 20, 2013, plea agreement.

Taylor had faced a prison sentence of 2 to 100 years, but the prosecution recommended a 10-year suspended sentence in the plea agreement. Taylor’s sentence for a burglary in Cascade County would also be revoked as part of the plea agreement.