Trial date of man accused of raping teen pushed back

The trial date of a man accused of raping one girl and sexually assaulting two others at an underage Halloween party in Kalispell last year has been pushed back.

Maury Solomon, the attorney for William James Pillans, successfully petitioned Judge Amy Eddy of Flathead County District Court to move the trial from June 27 to the November term. Solomon asked for the rescheduling in order to finish his investigation, complete witness interviews and prepare for the jury trial.

Deputy County Attorney Andrew Clegg, who is prosecuting the case, did not object to the request.

Pillans, 25, has been out on bail since May 5 after Solomon successfully argued to lower the amount from $150,000 to $25,000. He faces a sexual intercourse without consent charge as well as felony and misdemeanor counts of sexual assault.

Prosecutors say Pillans posed as a teenager at the 2021 party, bringing alcohol and encouraging other partygoers to imbibe. One underage girl present accused him of later raping her in a bedroom while two others said he groped them.

Pillans, who was serving a suspended sentence at the time, was arrested at his family home in Troy months after the alleged assaults. Prosecutors have asked Pillans’ sentence to be revoked. A hearing on that matter remains scheduled for July 14.

As for the rape and sexual assault charges, Pillans is due back in court Oct. 19 for a pretrial conference with a status hearing set for Nov. 7.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.