Ted Ramon’s trip to justice has been a long one, but he now appears to be headed toward sentencing.

Ramon recently pleaded guilty to three counts of felony sexual abuse.

The 56-year-old Polebridge man originally was charged in 2011 with three counts of felony sexual abuse of a minor after showing a girl pornographic materials, offering her cigars, alcohol and drugs, taking pornographic photos of her and molesting her while she was between 8 and 10.

He also swore her to secrecy, saying he would go to jail and her mother would be angry with her if she told anyone.

A court document in the case states Ramon told a detective he was mad that the victim had not been charged with any crime and none of his crimes would have happened if she had not approached him sexually.

Last June the case appeared to be coming to a close when Ramon pleaded no contest to one of the charges, but the dismissal of the remaining two charges and a recommended sentence of 15 years of probation with no jail time drew a spirited protest outside the Flathead County Justice Center.

Among those protesting on the day of Ramon’s planned sentencing was the father of the victim. He held a sign that read, “She is my daughter; jail for Ted Ramon!” He was never told of the proposed jail-less sentence, learning about it when he read about it in the newspaper.

“I want to see justice for criminals who commit serious crimes,” he said at the time. “In my opinion, this is the worst type of crime that exists in our society, and there has to be punishment. A message needs to be sent so that other children don’t have to deal with this.”

In the end, a judge ruled that Montana statute prohibits a person from pleading no contest in certain cases, including the type of case faced by Ramon. The plea and attached agreement subsequently were vacated.

The case then continued toward a trial scheduled for June 9, with several hearings held in preparation for that trial, including a hearing June 6.

On June 6, Ramon returned to court for another hearing in front of District Judge Robert Allison and pleaded guilty to all three charges.

He now faces 300 years in prison and the first 25 years could not be suspended or deferred. During that time he also would not be eligible for parole. He also faces a fine of up to $150,000.

Ramon’s sentencing hearing is set for Aug. 14, almost one year after his first planned sentencing on Aug. 29, 2013.

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