Man gets 10 years for sex assaults

A 52-year-old Kalispell man was sentenced Thursday in Flathead District Court to 10 years in jail and 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to felony sexual assault.

Between Oct. 31, 2009 and April 15, 2010, Thomas Brothers molested a 6-year-old girl multiple times.

Deputy County Attorney Lori Adams requested a five-year jail sentence for Brothers, with an additional 10 years of probation, but District Judge Stewart Stadler chose to order a more stringent punishment, adding five years to the jail term.

“According to the wishes of the victim, life in prison is too short,” Stadler said before handing down his ruling.

Stadler also chose to ignore the pleas of Brothers that his fines and fees be limited.

Brothers said he had $23,000 in student loans — $40,000 if his wife’s student loans were included. He said that he had no way of being employed because of the felony conviction.

Stadler ordered Brothers to pay a $1,000 fine, an $800 public defender fee, a $160 surcharge and $1,069 in restitution to the count for the cost of transporting him back to the county from New Mexico after his arrest.

To become eligible for parole, Brothers will be required to complete phase one of the sex offender program while in prison. He must complete phase two of the program after his release.

For pleading guilty to the sexual assault charge, another sexual assault-related felony charge and a misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure were dropped.