Man pleads not guilty to child-porn charges

A Kalispell man pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of children after law enforcement allegedly found videos and images of child pornography.

Christian Bryce Boots, 26, is alleged to have downloaded 828 videos and 237 images of suspected child pornography onto electronic devices at his Kalispell residence.

He entered his plea at Flathead County District Court on Thursday.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation in January 2015 of Boots’ residence where officers believed images of child pornography were being downloaded.

On Sept. 30, 2015, police searched his home and found a laptop along with multiple stand-alone hard drives, which were analyzed and hundreds of videos and images of child pornography were discovered, according to court documents.

Boots allegedly admitted to an officer that he had an interest in and downloaded child pornography. Boots also allegedly told a deputy that the files he downloaded depicted children ranging in age from 3 to 18, according to court documents.

Boots faces up to 20 years in Montana State Prison and $20,000 in fines if convicted.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.