Plea Agreement for Hamilton Child Rapist Rejected by State Judge

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A state judge in Helena has rejected a plea agreement that called for a suspended sentence for a man who had been charged with raping his girlfriend's young daughters.

Justin Gale Walker of Hamilton had been charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent involving two girls, ages 7 and 8. In July he pleaded no contest to felony criminal endangerment.

District Judge Kathy Seeley expressed concern that Walker was not accepting responsibility with his "no contest" plea. The girls' mother complained about the recommended 10-year suspended sentence and said her daughters were willing to testify.

On Thursday, Seeley gave Walker until Monday to decide if he wanted to go to trial on the rape charges or be sentenced to 10 years in prison.