A 20 year-old Missoula man is in the Missoula County Jail on $50,000 bond on charges that he sexually assaulted a child in a restaurant bathroom.

Deputy Missoula County Attorney Caitlin Williams asked Substitute Justice of the Peace Ryan Phelan for a bail amount of $50,000 dollars.

“The defendant is charged with a felony sex assault after he touched a seven year-old boy inappropriately in a restaurant bathroom,” said Williams. “This employee was an employee of the restaurant and the surveillance shows that the defendant was very fixated on the victim prior to following him into the bathroom.”

Williams said the defendant denied the charges initially.

“The defendant was interviewed and denied even seeing the boy in the bathroom,” she said. “The defendant was later interviewed by a detective and he admitted to sometimes having dark thoughts and that he tried to block them rather than act on them. The defendant does have prior convictions for burglary and obscenity within the past year. The obscenity charge was based on him defacing property related to his sexual interest in little boys. The State is very concerned about the defendant’s escalating behaviors, defacing property and discussing his sexual urges related to children.”

Judge Phelan set bail at $50,000 and remanded the defendant back to the Missoula County Jail. His next court appearance will be January 3.

 

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