GREAT FALLS – A former Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s deputy has been charged with 80 counts of sexual abuse of a child.
The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office started investigating in June of 2017 after the victim disclosed the alleged abuse by Virgil Wolfe to a counselor.
The victim said the abuse started when she was a young child living in Helena.
Court documents state that the victim said the abuse continued into her teens and while she was living in Cascade County. The victim said Wolfe told her not to tell anyone.
During the investigation, deputies discovered Wolfe was a deputy for Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office in the late 1990s.
They also sent several electronic items to the Department of Homeland Security for forensic analysis. According to court documents, agents found hundreds of photographs of children in various stages of undress on the electronic items.
Wolfe invoked his right to remain silent after deputies requested an interview with him. Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki said the case will be tried in Great Falls.
