Kalispell man admits to child sexual exploitation

A Kalispell man accused of taking sexually explicit photographs of a child while boating on Ashley Lake in Flathead County admitted charges on Wednesday.

Edward Timothy Cockerham, 43, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, according to acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson. Cockerham faces a mandatory minimum 15 to 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years of supervised release.

In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that on June 24, Cockerham went to Ashley Lake and was accompanied by two children. Cockerham took the victim, who was under the age of 18 and was identified as Jane Doe 1, boating. While out on the water, Cockerham touched and took sexually explicit pictures of Jane Doe 1. Jane Doe 1 reported Cockerham’s actions.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office seized Cockerham’s cellphone and searched it. An initial review determined Cockerham had deleted all of the images from his cellphone. The Sheriff’s Office obtained a second search warrant and sent the cellphone to the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation computer lab. A forensic examiner located sexually explicit images of Jane Doe 1.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for Jan. 27, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. Cockerham was detained pending further proceedings.

This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.