BILLINGS — A former Montana Women's Prison guard has been accused of two counts of raping an inmate, one count of releasing articles to an inmate and one count of official misconduct in Yellowstone County District Court.
Andre Hunter pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the four charges, all felonies. He was released on his own recognizance with no bond and ordered by Standing Master Brad Kneeland to avoid contact with the alleged victim and staff and inmates at the prison.
The charges, which were filed April 18, arose following a February interview by a Montana Department of Corrections investigator with the alleged victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe.
The woman told the investigator that she began a romantic relationship with Hunter in late January 2025, when the two began communicating verbally and through notes, and that he gave her a pen and Sharpie, which inmates are prohibited from having, according to documents filed by Montana Assistant Attorney General Patrick Moody.
The woman also told the investigator that she communicated with Hunter by directing her sister, who was not an inmate, to use Instagram to exchange messages with him, according to court documents. She provided notes from those messages, which she said were from Hunter, that were romantic in nature.
Hunter then allegedly smuggled several items into the woman's cell, including candy and doughnuts, but he declined her request to bring her meth, according to the documents.
The woman told the investigators she had two sexual encounters with Hunter. The first was on Feb. 11, when she said he digitally penetrated her through her cell door's food port. The second was on Feb. 18, when she said he asked her to come to the control hub, which is off limits to inmates. He directed her to a place with no cameras and unlocked the doors to get her there, according to court documents.
Once there, the woman said Hunter asked her for sex, and when she refused, he threatened to discipline her for breaking prison rules, according to court documents. She then agreed to his request.
The DOC later obtained video footage that showed Hunter standing in front of the woman's cell during the Feb. 11 encounter. On Feb. 18, additional footage showed the woman's cell opening and her leaving to go to the control hub, while Hunter was seen also entering the hub. The footage did not capture any sexual activity, but a lighting sweep of the control area later found a substance consistent with semen on the floor, according to the court documents.
Inmates are incapable of giving consent for sex with prison employees, according to state law.
In an interview with a Montana Department of Corrections investigator, Hunter denied communicating with the inmate through notes, passing contraband to her or performing any sex acts with her. When shown the video evidence, he said he did not recall giving a pen to the inmate or working the day that the footage indicated the two had a sexual encounter in the control room. When asked about the semen sample, he said he produced it by himself.
