Christopher Vottie Armstrong is facing felony charges in Bozeman, accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions in 2022.
Armstrong, 33, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Wednesday and was charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and one count of sexual assault. In Montana, the age of consent for sexual intercourse is 16 years old.
According to charging documents, on August 29, 2022, officers with the Bozeman Police Department responded to a report of a man and a young woman having sexual intercourse in a dugout at Kirk Park.
Officers reportedly made contact with the girl and learned she was 14 years old. The girl later told a detective during a forensic interview that she had sexual intercourse with Armstrong about 10 times since August 6, 2022.
MTN News spoke with Bozeman Police Detective Captain Dana McNeil about what parents can do to keep an eye out if they suspect their children to be in trouble.
“The most important thing you have with the kid is an open communication so that your child feels like they can come to you with just about anything,” says McNeil.
McNeil added that oftentimes, an abuser can be someone that a victim already knows. In Armstrong's case, court documents say the victim told detectives she had known Armstrong since she was 10 years old and said he “feels like kind of a father figure”.
“Stranger danger is certainly a thing and certainly strangers can pose a danger to kids," says McNeil. "But we know statistically it's far more likely that somebody who is given access to kids are the people who have the opportunity to violate on the kid. And those are the individuals that we need to worry about."
McNeil says in the time that he has been investigating these sorts of crimes, more people—both men and women—are coming forward to report them.
“Just having been a sex crime investigator myself for almost 20 years, I would say that we have made a lot of progress with the public feeling like they can come forward about these types of crimes and being able to speak up when they are victims of this,” says McNeil.
McNeil's biggest piece of advice to parents if their children come to them with a similar situation?
“So, first thing is listen with an open ear and not pass judgment. Thank the child for sharing with you and let them know you're going to help them,” says McNeil.
In court on Wednesday, Armstrong's bail was set at $250,000 and his next court appearance is scheduled for June 16.
