Former Montana Undersheriff Pleads Not Guilty to Rape
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana sheriff's deputy accused of sexually abusing a child is facing an additional charge of rape.
The Billings Gazette reported Thursday that Luke Strommen, a former Valley County undersheriff, has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and is free on his own recognizance.
Prosecutors previously charged him with child sex abuse, saying he requested an illicit image of a 17-year-old girl via text and received it by email in April 2014. The girl says she had a consensual relationship with Strommen, who was 36 at the time.
Strommen, who was put on leave amid an investigation into his relationship with one of the teen girls, resigned in November.
A man who answered a phone listed as Strommen's on Thursday night said the number was not linked to the former undersheriff.
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Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com