Wednesday, January 22, 2025
21.0°F

Sex offender accused of new crimes

Eric Schwartz/Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 14 years, 1 month AGO
by Eric Schwartz/Daily Inter Lake
| December 3, 2010 1:00 AM

A convicted sex offender will face two felony charges in Flathead County District Court after a police investigation revealed he allegedly molested a 5-year-old Kalispell boy.

Jason Dean Franks, 41, was arrested in Missoula on Tuesday for failing to register as a sex offender. He is being held in Missoula County Jail.

Also on Tuesday, prosecutors with the Flathead County Attorney’s Office charged him with felony sexual assault and sexual intercourse without consent following a Kalispell Police Department investigation that alleged he began having sexual contact with a boy in 2009 when the youth was 4 years old.

County Attorney’s Office Administrator Vickie Eggum said a warrant will be issued to extradite Franks to Flathead County, though it is not yet clear whether or not he will first face the charge of failing to register in Missoula County.

According to court documents, Franks moved in with a Kalispell woman and her two boys in August 2009. The mother later told investigating officers that she was aware he was a sex offender. Franks had been convicted of having sex with an underage girl in 1993, according to court documents.

On April 13, the mother reported an incident on March 15 in which her 7-year-old son accused Franks of having sexual contact with his younger brother while she was at work.

At the same time, she reported an incident that allegedly occurred in January after she heard her boys yell while in a public restroom with Franks.

After demanding he open the locked door, she discovered that Franks was naked and that her youngest son — 4 at the time — was having sexual contact with him, according to court documents.

“At the time, she did not think it was what it looked like so [she] did not take any action,” according to an investigation by a Kalispell detective.

On Oct. 28, a Kalispell detective interviewed the older brother, who said Franks frequently molested the 5-year-old when their mother was away. Subsequent investigation revealed that the 5-year-old had told a counselor about the alleged abuse.

The maximum penalty for sexual assault is 100 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Felony sexual intercourse without consent also carries a maximum penalty of 100 years in prison.

MORE IMPORTED STORIES

Suspect facing new rape charges
Daily Inter-Lake | Updated 13 years, 8 months ago
Sexual assault suspect pleads innocent
Daily Inter-Lake | Updated 14 years, 1 month ago
Convicted sex offender on trial on rape charges
Daily Inter-Lake | Updated 12 years, 2 months ago

ARTICLES BY ERIC SCHWARTZ/DAILY INTER LAKE

June 10, 2011 2 a.m.

Woman pleads guilty to taking part in casino crime

The young Bigfork woman accused of helping stage a robbery at a Columbia Falls casino last year pleaded guilty to felony theft Thursday in Flathead District Court.

Tunnel project ahead of schedule
May 18, 2011 2 a.m.

Tunnel project ahead of schedule

The construction of a pedestrian tunnel beneath U.S. 93 at Flathead Valley Community College is currently about three days ahead of schedule, according to a project manager with the Montana Department of Transportation.

April 16, 2011 2 a.m.

Getaway driver gets four-year term

The man who drove a getaway vehicle — after his sister’s failed attempt at stealing an elderly woman’s purse caused the woman serious injuries — was sentenced Thursday.