Dasen faces more charges

Kalispell businessman Dick Dasen Sr. has been charged with 10 new prostitution crimes.

Kalispell businessman Dick Dasen Sr. has been charged with 10 new prostitution crimes.

The new charges include one misdemeanor count of prostitution and nine felony counts of prostitution.

Dasen was charged in February with sexual intercourse without consent with a 15-year-old girl in the summer of 2003. The girl was reportedly paid. He also was charged with the misdemeanor charge of soliciting prostitution.

The misdemeanor was dropped when, in June, he was charged with felony offenses of aggravated promotion of prostitution, promotion of prostitution, and sexual abuse of children. The sexual abuse charge alleges that Dasen took pornographic pictures of underage girls.

Police say that Dasen, 62, has paid millions of dollars for sex in the past 20 years. Some women were reportedly paid more than $100,000.

According to Montana law, "A person commits the offense of prostitution if such person engages in or agrees or offers to engage in sexual intercourse with another person for compensation."

The penalty is up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000 on a first offense - a misdemeanor. Subsequent offenses are felonies, with penalties of up to five years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

In its motion to file the additional charges, the county attorney's office says it doesn't allege any new facts.

"The state has consistently alleged from the inception of this case that the defendant had intercourse with the listed women in exchange for compensation," the document says.

During interviews of witnesses, Dasen's attorney, George Best of Kalispell, has "routinely asked questions concerning the payment of money for sex. In this regard, adding the offense of prostitution has only changed the state's legal theory of the case and not the factual allegations the state intends to rely on at trial."

Dasen is scheduled for trial on Jan. 24.

If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 356 years in prison.

Fourteen women and five girls are charged with prostitution in connection with the case.

"The women were not prostitutes prior to meeting Dasen nor have they engaged in prostitution with anyone other than Dasen," the newest prosecution motion says.

"Dasen also encouraged some of the women… to bring other women to him for the purpose of Dasen having a sexual encounter," the document says.

A six-week trial in the case has a list of 43 witnesses for the prosecution and 35 for the defense.

Deputy County Attorneys Dan Guzynski and Lori Adams will prosecute.

Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com