Former Columbia Falls man sentenced to 300 years in prison in child sexual assault case
By BLAIR MILLER The Montana Standard | Hungry Horse News | UPDATED 1 week, 3 days AGO
BUTTE — The former youth hockey coach convicted last September of sexually assaulting three young boys in Butte and Flathead County was sentenced Wednesday to 300 years in prison.
District Judge Robert Whelan handed Jami Leslie James 100 years for each of the six counts of sexual intercourse without consent he was convicted of last year. Half of the sentences will run concurrent to the others, leaving him with 300 years of prison time.
James will not be eligible for parole for 60 years and he was designated a Tier 3 sex offender.
The state recommended a 600-year sentence with a parole restriction of 135 years, while James’ defense counsel recommended a 100-year sentence, with 75 years suspended.
A jury of six men and six women found James guilty of the six charges in September after about three and a half hours of deliberations that followed the multi-day trial.
The three victims testified against James at trial, saying he sexually assaulted them when they were either 8 or 9 years old and playing in his private hockey program between 2019 and early 2021.
They all described being similarly assaulted by James; two said he covered their mouths when they would cry or try to scream. One of the assaults happened at a hotel in Butte where a hockey camp was being held.
Other assaults happened at James’ home in Columbia Falls, on a boat during a camping trip and another at a home James used for hockey camp gatherings, the boys testified. Parents of the boys also testified at trial.
“Each of these boys had to be tremendously brave and face a jury of folks they don’t know and talk about things, explain on the witness stand what happened to them,” state prosecutor Stephanie Robles said during the trial’s closing arguments.
James maintained his innocence from his February 2023 arrest through the trial, and his defense attorney claimed the boys’ allegations were “false disclosures.”
Initially, two of the counts were filed against James in Butte-Silver Bow County and the four others were filed in Flathead County. But they were combined for the trial in Whelan’s courtroom. The cases were prosecuted by the Montana Attorney General’s Office.
Prosecutor Kelli Fivey told The Montana Standard when James was convicted it was a terrific day for justice and that the prosecution team was thrilled the jury had believed the boys and found James guilty.
“We’re super proud of these boys,” she said. “They did things that most adults couldn’t do and it’s because of their bravery that we got guilty verdicts on all six counts.”
Statements from the victims were read in court Wednesday ahead of Whelan handing down the sentence, and Fivey told The Standard that James also gave a statement in which he continued to maintain his innocence.