Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls on January 21, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, TIMOTHY BRUCE RUDDLE, a 44-year-old resident of Lewistown, pled guilty to receipt of child pornography. Sentencing is set for April 27, 2009. He is currently detained.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

In late December 2007, a then14-year-old girl reported that she had been repeatedly sexually abused over a number of years by her father, RUDDLE, while the family lived in Lewistown. During the investigation, the victim also disclosed that her father had child pornography movies on his computer and had shown at least one to her.

Law enforcement agents in Lewistown seized RUDDLE'S computer and related media, including CDs. A forensic examination found numerous images and movies of child pornography that RUDDLE had received via the Internet. They included images of children clearly prepubescent or under age 12, as well as children engaged in sadistic or masochistic abuse or other depictions of violence.

RUDDLE faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and could be sentenced to 20 years, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Lewistown Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.

 

 

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