Five of six Kalispell-area men charged with sexual abuse of children pleaded not guilty Thursday in Flathead County District Court. 

The five are Karl Cilroy Wortley, 34, Kalispell; Joshua Fredrick Naethe, 36, Somers; Benjamin David Emrich, 32, Kalispell; Justin Allen Zeiss, 34, Kalispell; and Christopher Paul Adams, 37, Kalispell. 

The sixth suspect, Daniel Anthony Hall, 33, of Kalispell will be arraigned on Sept. 11. 

All are being held in the Flathead County Detention Center on $100,000 bail. 

A Frenchtown man, Curtis Edward Foster, 41, also was arrested as part of the multi-agency operation that lasted four days. 

According to court documents, Wortley answered an online ad for sex posted by undercover law enforcement as part of an investigation. 

Through email, Wortley allegedly expressed interest in taking the virginity of a 12-year-old girl. He also provided specifics of what would happen in such an encounter. The undercover agent claiming to be a 12-year-old girl provided Wortley a Kalispell address via text message. 

When Wortley arrived at the address, he was confronted by officers and reportedly admitted traveling there to have sex with the girl.  

Court documents state that Naethe also answered an online ad for sex posted by undercover agents. Naethe indicated via email that he wanted to help a 12-year-old girl learn “how to become a woman.” Naethe then began communicating with agents via text messages and agreed to meet in person, where he was met by officers and arrested.  

Emrich allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist (including an explicit photo) seeking a sexual encounter. Undercover agents answered his ad posing as a 14-year-old girl. Emrich began communicating with the “girl,” asking sexual questions and eventually requesting nude photographs. Emrich is reported to have re-initiated the conversation later, and described a sexual encounter in graphic language. He asked for an address to meet the fictional 14-year-old at, and when he arrived there, he was arrested.  

Zeiss also allegedly answered an undercover agent’s ad. 

The ad was posted by a woman claiming to be the stepmother of a 12-year-old girl. Zeiss expressed interest in taking the girl’s virginity, telling agents, “It’s worth doing right... it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I see it as an honor and I’m very willing to but I don’t know if I can get out of the house.” 

Court documents state that later that evening, Zeiss arranged to meet with the undercover agent to discuss having sex with the 12-year-old. Zeiss talked with the agent, posing as the stepmother, explicitly about having sex with the 12-year-old. Then he was arrested. 

Adams also is accused of answering the ad posted by law enforcement advertising a sexual encounter with a young woman. Adams allegedly communicated with undercover agents via email and text message and expressed interest in sexual acts with a 12-year-old girl. Adams requested the address to meet the girl a couple of days later and was arrested when he arrived.  

Hall’s arrest followed a similar scenario: He allegedly answered the ad and began communicating with an agent via texts. Hall indicated that he was interested in meeting a 12-year-old girl for sex and sent explicit text messages describing a sexual encounter. When Hall was provided a physical address to meet the girl, he was arrested. 

The investigation was conducted by the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which involved multiple county, city and federal agencies. The task force maintains a daily presence on the Internet with the goal of exposing people who aim to exploit children. 

Reporter Brittany Brevik may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at [email protected].