A former Troy Police officer first accused of grooming a Lincoln County teen for sex is seeking his release from custody.

Layton Lee Natal Artigo, 23, appeared via Zoom from the Cascade County Detention Center June 18 for a bond reduction hearing in Lincoln County District Court.

District Judge Matt Cuffe heard arguments from Artigo’s defense attorney, Thomas Schoenleban, and deputy county attorney Lauren O’Neill. Cuffe said he would issue a written order at some point once a decision is made.

Schoenleban was appointed to represent Artigo from the state Office of Public Defender’s Conflict Division office.

Artigo, whose bail is set at $1 million, in a petition for the bond reduction, cited his desire to be released so he can pursue treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

O’Neill opened first and questioned Lincoln County Sheriff’s Det. Cody DeWitt about Artigo’s past as well as his work history.

Dewitt said Artigo grew up in California before moving to Massachusetts with family members.

“He worked in stop-loss security (shoplifting prevention), then went to work with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office,” Dewitt said. “He then worked for a few months in the Teton County Sheriff’s Office in 2024 before getting a job with the Montana Department of Corrections in early 2025. He worked there for a few weeks before joining the Troy Police Department in March 2025.”

Dewitt’s testimony matched information The Western News found online.

According to a LinkedIn page in his name, he was identified as a security site supervisor at a financial services company in Massachusetts from January 2021 to May 2023.

The page also lists Artigo working as a correctional officer in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts Sheriff’s Department from May 2023 to December 2023. Artigo was listed as a graduate of the Correction Officer Training Program in a newsletter published by the county, which includes Boston and its immediate environs.

During Schoenleban’s cross examination of Dewitt, he asked the detective if he knew about Artigo’s PTSD originating from when he worked a junior law enforcement officer in Massachusetts.

Dewitt said he didn’t know about that, but Schoenleban said the PTSD was due to incidents Artigo witnessed while working there.

Artigo was sworn in as Troy’s newest member of the force on March 10, 2025, but later became the target of an investigation by the department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. According to the criminal complaint filed Nov. 14 in Lincoln County Justice Court, Artigo is charged with two felonies, including grooming of a child for a sexual offense and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

According to a Nov. 14 news release from Troy City Hall, Artigo was fired after the Police Department and other city leaders received information about alleged misconduct involving Artigo. After the initial investigation by Troy Police and the Sheriff’s Office, Artigo’s employment was terminated.

The investigation was then turned over to the county and the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation.

“It’s obviously embarrassing, but he passed all the state and federal background checks during the hiring process,” Troy Mayor T. J. Boswell told The Western News.

Boswell said Artigo worked in law enforcement positions in two other Montana locales before coming to Troy, including for the state Department of Corrections. Boswell said when the city was interviewing candidates for the job, Artigo had the most experience of any of them.

According to a Nov. 13 news release from Lincoln County Sheriff Darren Short, his office received a report of suspicious activity involving several underage girls and Artigo.

In the complaint, county detectives received information that Artigo may have engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with minors using Snapchat, a social media app.

Dewitt went to Troy on Nov. 12 to interview a minor that was reportedly in contact with Artigo. She said the accused had spoken with her since Nov. 9 on Snapchat. He saw the Snap conversation threads and in them, Artigo allegedly insinuated he was masturbating, asked her if she could handle him and asked her when she turned 18.

In another conversation, Artigo allegedly asked the girl if “she was gonna be chill about this right,” elaborating, “I like my career” and “I don’t know what it is about you, but I want you.” When she said, “Explain,” he allegedly said he was scared and didn’t want to get caught.

In Schoenleban’s questioning of Dewitt, he learned the alleged victim was 17 years in November 2025.

DeWitt and fellow county Detective Brandon Holzer got a search warrant for Artigo’s phones, tablets, computers, TVs, game consoles as well as portable devices with internet access. When they arrived at his home, he was gone. They saw the residence was in disarray and smelled of a burned, plastic odor.

“We checked local hotels, his girlfriend’s residence and the train station,” Dewitt said. “We learned he got a ride to Spokane from a taxi in Sandpoint and took a flight to Los Angeles.”

They also reported Artigo had stripped his bed and bleached certain areas of the apartment. Troy Police officer Ian Smith entered the apartment and saw black charring and smoke marks on the walls. Holzer found a melted, burned pile of plastic in the oven that he determined was a computer hard drive. They also seized a small iPhone.

Smith and Deputy Ben Fisher went to Artigo’s girlfriend’s home. The 23-year-old woman said she spoke with Artigo after he had been fired that afternoon. She said the conversation was normal, but he allegedly asked her to grab his Smart TV. She gave it to the officers.

She said she had no idea where Artigo was and hadn’t heard from him since their conversation earlier that day.

Schoenleban, is his argument, said Artigo checked himself into a mental health facility after he arrived in California. When he learned there was a warrant for his arrest, he turned himself into law enforcement in Santa Ana, California, Nov. 14. 

Artigo was intially incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center on $1 million bail. But he was later transferred to the Cascade Co. facility.

Dewitt said Artigo was first housed in Flathead County due to his work in Lincoln County and concern for his safety.

But the defendant’s time in the Flathead facility was rocky. Dewitt said his conduct there, which included being uncooperative, seeking favoritism from correctional officers and causing issues with other inmates, led to his transfer to Cascade Co. Artigo had five writeups while in the Flathead jail. They ranged from Feb. 21, 2026, to early May. 

O’Neill questioned Dewitt where Artigo would live if he was released.

“Probably not in Montana, I’m not really sure,” the detective said. “He has traveled to Honduras where he has family as well as California and Massachusetts.

Schoenleban cited state code while arguing the $1 million bail was excessive. In Montana Code Annotated 46-9-301, bail must be reasonable and sufficient to ensure the presence of the defendant, ensure compliance with bail conditions and not be oppressive. 

“I’ve had a number of homicide defendants that didn’t have bail set that high,” Schoenleban said. “The alleged victim is 17, which is over the age of consent. “Do we really know if he used his position of authority to initiate a relationship?

“I don’t see that he’s a threat to the community, this was a non-violent offense,” the counselor added. “We’ve heard about uncharged conduct, speculation and we’re planning on taking this case to trial. My client knows any misbehavior would be very damaging to his case.”

He said Artigo would consent to wearing a GPS monitoring device, which would ensure his whereabouts would be known.

O’Neill said the only way to guarantee Artigo’s appearance was to keep him in custody.

“I don’t think GPS is enough,” she said. “We have one person in the county to monitor him. The problem with the GPS is it’s only good when it’s worn. It’s not uncommon to have a defendant cut it off.”

O’Neill acknowledged the mental health aspect.

“He made statements concerning taking his life, but his pattern of approaching young women and making them feel uncomfortable is concerning.

“Quite frankly, bail in the $10,000 to $20,000 range or a release on his own recognizance is ridiculous,” O’Neill said.

Other considerations include the defendant’s history of absconding and the costs that the county may incur to transport the defendant if he did violate any conditions of release.

A conviction on the grooming or tampering charge may result in a maximum sentence of 10 years in the Montana State Prison.