Federal judge adds 16 more years for man charged with sexual assault

A 60-year-old Kalispell man could spend about 24 years in state and federal prison for charges relating to the sexual assault of his stepchild over a seven year period.

A federal charge of sexual exploitation of children was brought against David Sledge after an investigation revealed he took indecent photos of the girl in Glacier National Park in 2008. The girl was 16 years old when Sledge allegedly photographed her nude in a bathtub while he was also nude and exposed to the camera.

U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy sentenced Sledge on Dec. 21 to 16 years and 4 months in prison after he pleaded guilty. The sentence allows no time off for good behavior and is consecutive to Sledge's state sentence.

Sledge originally faced four felony charges and two misdemeanor charges when the case was filed in Flathead County District Court in April 2010. According to court documents, Sledge began sexually assaulting the young girl in 2001 when she was 10 years old and continued for seven years.

Following a plea agreement, Sledge faced a minimum of 14 years for three felony charges when Judge Katherine Curtis sentenced him in December 2010. Taking into account mitigating circumstances and his prior felony conviction, Curtis sentenced Sledge to 40 years with 32 suspended for one count of sexual assault and 11 years all concurrent for the remaining four charges.

Curtis cited the "virtual prison-like circumstances" that the young girl was forced to live under.

"She was a child with nowhere else to go, living in an environment where she knew at any time she could be subjected to this abuse by a person who was supposed to be caring for her best interest," Curtis said.

Curtis also ordered Sledge to pay restitution to the young girl to cover her counseling expenses. He was also ordered to undergo psychological evaluation and to not have contact with his stepchild or three other victims cited by their initials.