60 jili Cowboys win wild one vs. Commanders to halt five-game slideA 44-year-old Butte man pleaded not guilty Thursday to nine counts of sexual abuse of children for allegedly having numerous videos of children engaged in sexual acts. Adam Lee McPhie was escorted from the Butte jail to District Judge Kurt Krueger’s courtroom and with lawyer Mark Johnson by his side, pleaded not guilty to each count. Krueger accepted the pleas and set the next hearing for Jan. 18. Adam Lee McPhie talks with his attorney, Mark Johnson, prior to appearing before District Judge Kurt Krueger on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 in the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse. Johnson said he would seek a bail reduction, but it remains at $1 million for now as requested by prosecutors. McPhie has been jailed since his arrest on Oct. 3. Prosecutors and police believe the children in the images are all under age 16 and some are likely 12 or younger. Adam Lee McPhie appears before District Judge Kurt Krueger on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 in the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse. Under Montana law, sexual abuse of children tied to child pornography carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. But if the offender was 18 or older and the victims are 12 or under, a conviction carries a 100-year-prison term and the first 25 years cannot be suspended. The offender is also not eligible for parole until at least 25 years are served. The charges allege that McPhie possessed videos of children on various dates in 2023. Investigators received cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that were reported by the cloud-based storage provider for cell phone company Verizon Wireless. Adam Lee McPhie appears before District Judge Kurt Krueger on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 in the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse. An agent with the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation obtained a search warrant to review the files and matched them with call logs and other information tied to McPhie’s cell phone number. Some of the videos show nude, pre-pubescent children in sex acts, some with adults and some with other children, prosecutors say. In one, a female child appears to be in pain and is crying. The cyber tips all took place in 2023, with the earliest reported in February that year and the latest on May 30. In the agent’s investigation, “it has been discovered that there are potentially hundreds of additional CSAM (child sexual abuse material) files connected to McPhie,” prosecutors said in an affidavit. “The investigation continues into these files.” Mike Smith is a reporter at the Montana Standard with an emphasis on government and politics. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Government and Politics Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

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