Local man faces two counts of sex abuse

A 27-year-old Columbia Falls man faces two felony counts of sexual abuse to children after he was charged with eliciting photos from a 15-year-old boy.

According to court documents, John McFadden offered to pay the boy $5 apiece for revealing photos.

The boy approached the police in April 2011 and told them McFadden wanted the photos sent to a woman named "Sara" at a sexually-suggestive e-mail address.

The boy said McFadden paid him for six or seven photos and told him to "keep it under the radar" because people would get in trouble if their activity was discovered.

Police served an investigative subpoena on the company which provided the Internet domain name for the e-mail address. They learned that the e-mail address was connected to a "Sara K," whose IP address was tracked back to the user ID registered to McFadden.

McFadden pleaded not guilty to the two felony counts in Flathead County District Court on Feb. 16. He faces a minimum of four years and a maximum of two life terms in prison and a fine up to $20,000 if convicted. A hearing in the matter is scheduled for April 11.