Sex assault case dismissed against Libby man

Charges were recently dismissed against a Libby man accused of sexual assault in 2023.

Laurence Alton Haflich, 70, was charged with two felonies in relation to an alleged incident at his RV while it was parked between Libby and Troy on June 17, 2023.

The charges were incest, victim under 12 years of age and offender is 18 years or older, and sexual assault, victim less than 16 and the offender is three years older.

But on July 16 Lincoln County Attorney Marcia Boris filed a motion for dismissal of the charges and District Judge Matt Cuffe granted it.

In the motion for dismissal, Boris wrote that the alleged victim no longer wanted to cooperate with the prosecution. Without witness testimony, there is insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Haflich had faced a maximum of 100 years in prison on the incest charge. A conviction on the sexual assault charge could have resulted in a 100-year sentence or life.

Haflich has dealt with the county justice system in the past.

According to court documents, he was charged in 2013 with felony DUI and criminal endangerment. He was pulled over by a law officer who found a young girl in the truck along with another man. The girl was not wearing a seat belt. He pleaded guilty to DUI and received a 13-month sentence to a Department of Corrections facility for treatment.

In 2020, Haflich was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and assault with a weapon for allegedly beating up his ex-daughter-in-law. Before his jury trial, his release was revoked because he allegedly used methamphetamine. He was later found not guilty of those charges in a jury trial.

The 2023 case began on June 27 when Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective Duane Rhodes was contacted by a woman who wanted to report her daughter had been touched inappropriately by her grandfather, Haflich. Rhodes interviewed the girl and she said she had spent the night at his house on June 22. Rhodes wrote in his report that Haflich lived in a RV between Libby and Troy and it was the first time the girl had stayed with him.

According to the court document, she told Rhodes she shared a bed with the accused, but they had separate blankets. She said she went to sleep before waking up to Haflich “playing with himself.” She said at one point he placed his penis on her leg. She said she got out of bed to get away from him, but when she got back into bed, he began touching her vagina over her clothes. She didn’t like it, got up and left the room. When she looked back, the alleged victim said Haflich was using his hand to “play with” his penis.

The next morning, the girl said Haflich allegedly talked to her about touching herself and told her that if she wanted to “learn anything” to go to him. Later, Haflich drove her home and told her not to tell anyone because she “wouldn’t want her Papa to get in trouble,” the court document said.