MISSOULA – A 62-year-old Kalispell man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Lawrence Sheehan entered the plea Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula.
Prosecutors say Sheehan sexually abused a minor female over a period of seven years in Montana, Idaho, New Mexico and Arizona. The government says the abuse began in 2000 when the girl was 12 and that she gave birth to Sheehan’s child at age 15.
The abuse allegedly continued until October 2007 when the girl reported to the Lincoln County sheriff’s office that Sheehan had repeatedly sexually abused her for years.
Sheehan is to be sentenced Oct. 15. He faces a mandatory minimum five years in prison and could be sentenced to 30 years, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision.