A registered sexual offender caught in Kalispell viewing child pornography in his van has pleaded guilty to a federal charge.

Rodney Royce Miller, 60, of Kalispell, pleaded guilty Tuesday during U.S. District Court proceedings in Missoula to accessing child pornography.

Miller was sitting in his van — in which he lives — on Sept. 21, 2012, when a federal probation and parole officer walked up to do a check. The officer reported that when he approached, he saw pornographic images of children open on Miller’s laptop computer.

A Flathead County court document stated that when the officer spoke with Miller, Miller admitted visiting websites named for the teenagers who filled their images.

A forensic examination of the laptop uncovered files depicting pornography and “cache records which were indicative of a user seeking child pornography,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice release. The Flathead County document alleged Miller estimated he had 100 of the images, and that he thought about touching children again when he looked at them.

Miller has multiple arrests for felony sexual assault, including a conviction for molesting an 11-year-old girl. Miller’s most recently registered transient address was adjacent to a day care.

The Flathead County document alleges Miller told police that although he felt he would likely have to go to prison, he would rather die in a gunfight.

He was arrested Sept. 25 on a felony charge of sexual abuse of children and was incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center. That case was later set aside to make way for the federal charge.

When Miller is sentenced on Sept. 12, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and as many as 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and lifetime supervision.

If Miller had been convicted of his local charge, he would have faced up to 100 years in prison and would not have been eligible for parole for the first 25 years. In addition, up to the first 25 years could not have been suspended or deferred. He could also have been fined up to $50,000.

The investigation that led to Miller’s arrest was a cooperative effort involving the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, U.S. Probation, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.