A Kalispell man is facing a felony charge for allegedly propositioning for sex a then-underage teenager walking along U.S. 93 in 2024.  

Prosecutors last month filed one count of prostitution where a child was patronized against 68-year-old Randal Joseph Riesland in connection with the April 2024 incident. He is expected to appear before Judge Heidi Ulbricht in Flathead County District Court on Oct. 22 for his arraignment.  

The then 17-year-old told Kalispell Police officers that she was walking near a hotel on the highway when a red pickup pulled up near her. The man inside offered to pay her for sex, according to court documents.  

Telling him no, she walked off and phoned her father. Meeting with investigators later that day, she described the man and the pickup truck while pinpointing the location where the incident occurred. Based on that information, authorities successfully requested surveillance footage from a nearby bank, court documents said.  

A screenshot showing the pickup truck was distributed among patrol officers the next day, according to court documents. A Kalispell Police sergeant subsequently spotted a truck matching the vehicle in the image and spoke with the driver, later identified as Riesland, court documents said.  

Riesland at first told investigators he remembered pulling over to ask a "gal" if she wanted a ride, court documents alleged. He then allegedly recalled asking her if she wanted to make money and hinting at sex. 

Finally, Riesland told investigators that whatever the victim said was likely the truth, according to court documents.  

Asked what he was thinking, Riesland allegedly replied, "A girlfriend or something. I didn't know she was underage." 

He told investigators he propositioned a different person the week prior, according to court documents.  

Booked into the county jail after prosecutors opened the case last month, Riesland was released from custody Oct. 4. If convicted, he faces up to 100 years in the state prison and a $50,000 fine.