Bail stays at $250K for hockey coach accused of rape in Butte, Flathead County

BUTTE -- A former youth hockey coach accused of sexually assaulting young boys in Butte and Flathead County said he couldn’t afford to post $250,000 bail and his lawyer asked a judge to reduce it to $100,000.

The attorney for 49-year-old Jami Leslie James also said his client is willing to live alone in another person’s house in Lake County while awaiting trial, wear a GPS monitoring device and agree to other release conditions.

The $100,000 would come from James’ mother’s retirement fund, defense attorney Scott Hilderman told District Judge Robert Whelan during a Tuesday court hearing in Butte.

“So it will be a great harm to his mother, his family, if Mr. James decided to … risk forfeiture of that bond,” Hilderman.

But prosecutor Angie Rolando said the charges — sexual intercourse without consent involving three young boys — and the possible punishment provided ample motive for James to flee if released.

There are several other factors that justify the $250,000 bail, she said, including the seriousness of the alleged offenses and protecting the public.

“There is a significant community safety issue at play here that the court needs to weigh,” Rolando said.

James has been jailed in Flathead or Butte-Silver Bow counties since his arrest in February 2023 and after an hour-long hearing, Judge Whelan declined to lower the bail amount.

“When I consider the severity of the allegations in this matter and I consider the safety of the community, which are the leading factors for me in this particular case, I believe $250,000 is appropriate,” he said.

The parties and judge did agree to set trial for May 5. Trial dates are often postponed but Whelan said he was wary of further delays because they’re hard on the defendant and alleged victims.

Prosecutors say six alleged rapes occurred between 2019 and early 2021 and involved three boys, all 8 or 9 years old at the time, who were participants in a private hockey program run by James. The boys told investigators that James pulled down their pants and sexually assaulted them with an object, according to charging documents.

James pleaded not guilty in April 2023 to two counts of sexual intercourse without consent in Butte-Silver Bow County, five days after he pleaded not guilty in Kalispell to four rape charges in Flathead County. Each of the six counts carries a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison.

James told police he never sexually abused children and could not think of a motive behind the accusations. But he has said he is bi-racial and told a detective after his arrest that he feels he is constantly attacked due to his race.

In May, the charges were consolidated into one case that will be prosecuted in Butte, and James was later transferred from the Flathead County jail to the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center.

Hilderman filed a recent motion seeking a lower bond.

It said James has about $200,000 in cash available through his family but a significant portion of that will be needed to pay attorney fees and costs associated with his case.

He could post $25,000 needed to obtain a surety bond, the motion says, but his family doesn’t have sufficient collateral to secure the bond. Bond agencies often require property, including land or houses, as collateral to ensure a defendant shows for court hearings or trial.

Hilderman covered those points via Zoom during Tuesday’s hearing and cited other reasons for lowering bail, including James having no prior criminal history. He also named a woman who owns a house in Lake County where James could stay at alone awaiting trial.

James spoke via video from the Butte jail and said he wasn’t in a position to post $250,000 cash bail or offer property or other assets as collateral to obtain such a bond.

He said his wife purchased and owned a home but they separated about six months before the charges were levied and they have separate bank accounts. He had about $15,000 in cash before his arrest, he said, but family had likely spent some of that since.

“My father died last year while I was incarcerated, my mom is having health problems herself,” he said. “It’s been real tough.”

Rolando peppered James with questions about his finances but said prosecutors had no proof of his claims. They also knew nothing about the woman with the house in Lake County or anything about the house itself, she said.

But much of her argument for keeping bail at $250,000 focused on the nature of the alleged offenses.

“This case involves three minor children who entrusted the defendant with their care and safety,” she said. “The allegations this defendant faces, if convicted, would demonstrate crimes that not only violate that trust but the lives of three incredibly vulnerable children and their families forever.”

The trial set for May 5 could last up to two weeks, attorneys said.