Man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of child

A 47-year-old Libby man pleaded guilty Monday to felony charges stemming from a home video showing a 14-year-old girl engaged in sexual activity.

David Alexander Cooper pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a child in exchange for an agreement from the county attorney's office to dismiss additional charges of sexual intercourse without consent and sexual assault. All three charges carry a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison. The charge to which Cooper pleaded guilty has no minimum sentence while the other two charges carry a minimum sentence of four years.

The plea agreement contains no recommendation regarding sentencing. Cooper will be sentenced following completion of a court-ordered pre-sentence report and psycho-sexual evaluation.

According to an affidavit filed in district court, the investigation that led to the charges against Cooper started in August 2004 when a county sheriff's deputy received an envelope containing a videotape depicting a man and two teen-age girls engaged in sexual activity. The date on the videotape indicated it has been recorded in April 2003. The deputy identified the man on the tape as Cooper, who would have been 44 at the time, and he identified the girls as having been 17 and 14 years old when the tape was made.

A detective talked with the younger girl, who at first denied having had any sexual contact with Cooper but later admitted to it, saying that she did not think he had done anything wrong, the affidavit contends. The older girl later told the detective that she had been contacted by the younger girl, who told her Cooper was in trouble and urged her to say the date on the tape was wrong. The girl told the detective the date on the tape was correct and that the tape was recorded at Cooper's home. She said she was "dating" Cooper at the time.

The charges to be dismissed related to Cooper's alleged sexual contact with the younger girl. The charge to which he pleaded guilty stemmed from the video recording of the two girls engaged in sexual activity with each other.