A man whose rape of a teenager came to light when someone working on his laptop found video evidence of the crime later received a 40-year prison sentence.  

Edward Clay Curtis, 59, of Kalispell, began raping the girl when she was 12 years old and they lived together in Spokane, Washington, according to court documents. She told investigators the sexual abuse occurred several times a week and estimated he had raped her more than 100 times, court documents said.  

Charged with two counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent, Curtis maintained his innocence at his May 2023 arraignment in Flathead County District Court. But after earning a separate felony bail jumping charge for allegedly skipping scheduled courtroom appearances in October 2024, Curtis took a plea deal.  

He agreed to plead guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent in exchange for seeing the other charges dropped. As part of the arrangement, prosecutors agreed to recommend that he receive a 40-year Montana State Prison sentence.  

Judge Amy Eddy stuck to the deal at Curtis' June 2025 sentencing. She designated him a level two sex offender and gave him credit for 348 days of time served. As of May 2026, Curtis remains in the Montana State Prison.  

The abuse emerged after Curtis' wife sought to prepare his laptop for sale and asked another individual to ensure no personal information was left on the device in March 2023. She, Curtis and the victim all rented rooms together in Columbia Falls at the time.  

The individual performing the work alerted the Flathead County Sheriff's Office after coming across a video allegedly capturing Curtis raping the girl. After investigators seized the laptop, they reviewed several more videos and determined at least one occurred in Flathead County, court documents said. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 406-758-4430 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.