Just days before Nicholas James Moskaloff’s trial on charges stemming from his alleged beating of his children was expected to start in Flathead County District Court, the Hungry Horse man struck a plea deal with prosecutors.

Initially charged with twin counts of felony assault on a minor, the 43-year-old has remained in county jail since October 2021 with bail set at $150,000. Authorities issued a warrant for his arrest after he allegedly kicked and punched his two sons for skipping school in May of that year, according to court documents.

Under the terms of his agreement, Moskaloff pleaded guilty to a single count of assault on a minor before Judge Robert Allison on Sept. 9. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the second count and withdrew a persistent felony offender notice.

Prosecutors will recommend he serve a fully suspended five year sentence in Montana State Prison at his Oct. 20 sentencing.

His trial was expected to begin Sept. 12.

Authorities began investigating Moskaloff after the two boys showed up to school with “visible injuries,” according to court documents. A school official subsequently alerted the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators later concluded that Moskaloff kicked, punched and kneed the pair after a family friend found them skipping school and brought them home, court documents said. The two children suffered eye and rib contusions, according to court documents.

Moskaloff has a lengthy criminal history, including a multiyear stint in federal prison for selling methamphetamine to an informant, according to 2011 coverage in the Daily Inter Lake. When arrested in 2010, Moskaloff was on probation for a 2009 conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

He previously saw charges of aggravated assault and theft against him dropped.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].