C-Falls man heads to prison for child abuse

A 38-year-old Columbia Falls man accused of sexually abusing two young girls in Columbia Falls is heading to prison.

Flathead County District Court Judge Ted Lympus sentenced Adam Netz on March 20 to two concurrent 20-year terms in the Montana State Prison with 13 years suspended for each term. The sentence followed a pre-trial agreement reached by Netz’s attorney and the county attorney’s office.

Netz pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to two felony counts of sexual assault by way of an Alford plea, in which he denied the charges but agreed the state had overwhelming evidence to convict him. He had faced up to 100 years in prison for each charge.

According to court documents, two Columbia Falls police officers investigated a Jan. 13, 2013, report by a landlord who said a tenant told him her young daughters had been sexually assaulted.

The mother agreed to a forensic interview with her 11- and 12-year-old daughters. Both girls allegedly described how Netz had sexually molested them. Netz allegedly admitted to some of the acts in a later interview.

Lympus also ordered Netz to pay a $2,000 fine with half suspended and to complete sex offender treatment program phases I and II before becoming eligible for parole. Netz will be designated a Level 1 sex offender. Netz was remanded to the custody of the sheriff.