Ellis changes plea, faces 10 years behind bars

A Eureka man caught on an audio recording trying to badger an underage relative into having sex with him is poised to spend the next decade behind bars.

John Kendall Ellis, 35, pleaded guilty to a single count of solicitation to incest on Feb. 14. Along with solicitation to incest, Ellis initially faced a charge of sexual assault or incest, alternatively.

In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop the latter charge. They also dismissed a second case against Ellis, one that involved an assault with a weapon charge stemming from an alleged attack on a detention center officer while in the county jail.

Prosecutors will recommend that Ellis earn a 20-year sentence with the Montana State Prison with 10 years suspended. He must undergo any treatment recommended in his sexual offender evaluation prior to release, according to court documents.

Eureka Police officers began investigating the 35-year-old in July after a therapist alerted authorities. According to court documents, a client provided an audio recording of Ellis engaging in sexual harassment.

In the recording, a male voice is heard describing sexual acts to occur when the victim’s mother went out of town. When confronted by Eureka Police officer Grigori Neils, Ellis accused the victim of editing the audio. He told Neils “he was trying to tell [the victim] that he didn’t want to do that with her,” according to court documents.

In an interview with the victim, who was a non-blood relative of Ellis, investigators learned the abuse began last March. That’s when Ellis told her he wanted to have sex, she said. She alerted another family member, but was dismissed, court documents said.

The victim recounted riding with Ellis in late spring, saying he groped her while she sat in the passenger seat and made vulgar comments pressuring her into sex, according to court documents. He made similar remarks during a family camping trip in July, those being the comments she recorded, according to court documents.

Ellis is due back in Lincoln County District Court for his sentencing on April 25.

To report child abuse or neglect, contact Child and Family Services of the state Department of Public Health and Human Services at 1-866-820-5437. Victims of sexual violence can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.