Billings man admits sexual abuse crime

BILLINGS — A Billings man today admitted to sexually abusing a girl in Busby, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, between 2009 and 2010, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Travis Ridenour, aka Travis Lamere, 34, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact. Ridenour faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and not less than five years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Aug. 31. Ridenour was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Jane Doe 1 disclosed that when she approximately 13 years old, in 2009, she was sleeping in the same bed as another female. Ridenour also was in the bed. At some point, Jane Doe 1 woke up, and Ridenour’s hand was underneath her underwear on her vaginal area.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

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