Suspected molester posts bond

David R. Farr accused of sexually assaulting five boys at Children's House Monessori School in Whitefish

David R. Farr, accused of molesting five boys at the Children's House Montessori School in Whitefish, was released from jail Thursday after posting the required $100,000 bond.

Farr, 36, made an initial appearance in Justice of the Peace David Ortley's court on five felony counts of sexual assault, for which he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Ortley scheduled a March 15 preliminary hearing for Farr.

He will be represented by Whitefish attorney Jack Quatman, who asked that Farr be released on his recognizance. That kind of release was opposed by Deputy County Attorney Dan Guzynski, who said the $100,000 bond was appropriate.

Ortley ordered Farr to have no contact with witnesses or alleged victims in the case. Unsupervised contact with children also is forbidden.

Farr was administrator of the Montessori school from June 2004 to October 2005. Before that, he was director and co-director of the after-school program there. In October 2005, a parent reported suspicions that her child had been molested at the school. The parents of four other boys, between the ages of 2 and 6, made similar accusations.

Children's House Montessori School staffers deferred comment to school board President Jessie Cady.

"Children's House Montessori School would like the families involved and the families of our school to know that our hearts are with them and we stand behind them during these trying times," Cady said in a press release issued Thursday. "We have and will continue to support and cooperate with the Whitefish city Police Department and the Flathead County Attorney's Office in the investigation of this matter, and if Mr. Farr is guilty of these charges, we hope that he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Rumors have been circulating that the school had stricter policies for staff interaction with girls than it did for boys, but Cady said there's no truth to the accusation.

The school, which opened in 1987, employs about a dozen people. Four years ago the school expanded, adding a facility to increase its preschool enrollment. At that time the program had a waiting list of 60 to 70 children.

Cady declined to say whether enrollment at Children's House has declined in the wake of the alleged sexual assaults. She also declined to say whether she has children who attend the school.

Farr, who has lived in the valley since 1991, also owned and operated Runner Up Sports in Whitefish for a number of years and was described by one Whitefish resident as quiet and low-key, "kind of a hippie guy." He reportedly was convicted in 1990 of possession of marijuana.

He reportedly has no convictions for sex crimes.