A Columbia Falls man is headed to prison after molesting two young girls.

Adam Netz, 38, previously entered pleas of guilty by way of Alford to two counts of felony sexual assault, accepting conviction while maintaining his claim that he is innocent. On Thursday, Flathead District Judge Ted Lympus sentenced Netz to seven years in the Montana State Prison followed by 13 years of probation.

In order to have any opportunity for parole during those seven years, Netz must first complete phases one and two of the state’s sex offender treatment program.

Netz was initially charged after the girls, ages 12 and 13, reported in January of last year that Netz had molested them on multiple occasions.

Despite his Alford pleas, he apologized for his actions during that hearing.

“Words cannot express how sorry I am,” Netz said, who said he “was in a horrible place” at the time of the crimes.

Netz said he had several friends and his mother die over a period of about six months and that his wife left him, at which point he became suicidal.

“It took me coming to jail to start coming out of this depression and feeling better about myself,” Netz said.

He also claimed he suffers from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In addition to jail and probation, Netz was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and was designated a Tier I sex offender, indicating the lowest risk of committing another sexual offense.