Resse Riggin appeared in court on July 23 for an answer hearing in the proceedings regarding whether he violated his probation conditions.

The Cascade County Attorney’s Office filed a petition in late June to revoke his suspended sentence from a 2016 sexual intercourse without consent conviction.

He was arrested in late June on allegations that he inappropriately touched two sixth-grade girls during an end-of-year celebration at Meadow Lark Elementary School earlier in the month.

Judge John Kutzman presided over the hearing for Judge Dave Grubich.

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Aaron Rains, Riggin’s defense attorney, said they waived the reading of the allegations, which they denied.

Kutzman said the evidentiary disposition hearing, which is when the judge decides if Riggin has violated the terms of his probation, is set for Aug. 26.

Rains said he’d been in discussion with County Attorney Josh Racki and would likely request to postpone that hearing about 90 days.

That hearing is now set for Nov. 18, according to court records.

Grubich denied a bail reduction for Reese Riggin during a July 8 hearing after Riggin argued he didn’t have the means, had a critical medical appointment and was not a danger to the community.

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By 6 p.m. July 8, he was in the process of posting the $150,000 bond, according to the Cascade County Attorney’s Office.

Typically, defendants go through a bail bondsman and pay 10 percent of the bond in cash.

Several community members submitted letters in support of Riggin that have been shared on social media, causing retaliation against those letter writers and their businesses.

Riggin’s attorney motioned to seal the letters on July 17, which was denied by the judge the same day.

Riggin was convicted on a felony count of sexual intercourse without consent and sentenced in August 2016 to a 20-year commitment to the Montana Department of Corrections with 15 years suspended.

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He was released in November 2017 and placed on parole. He began serving the suspended portion of his sentence in August 2021, according to court documents.

His conditions of release did not prohibit him from being on school property.

Riggin’s chiropractic license was revoked in Idaho due to allegations from female patients that he’d touched them inappropriately. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation by a medical care provider. His defense attorney in the 2016 case said that misdemeanor charge stemmed from a consensual sexual relationship with a patient, according to Great Falls Tribune reports at the time.

On June 24, Judge David Grubich issued an arrest warrant with a $150,000 bond, including conditions that he stay away from the victims and all Great Falls Public Schools property and any children under 18.

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He was arrested in Spokane where he was attending a 3-on-3 youth basketball tournament, according to the Cascade County Attorney’s Office. The Riggin family operates a food booth at the tournament, according to prosecutors.

Flippin’ Family Fun often sets up at the Montana State Fair, but the county canceled its contract with the business for the 2026 fair.

The contract includes a provision for cancellation at any time, and Flippin’ Family Fun had not signed the contract or paid a deposit, so county fair administrators canceled the contract, according to the county officials.

Riggin was transported from Spokane and booked into the Cascade County Adult Detention Center on July 5.

He made an initial court appearance on July 7 before Judge John Kutzman, who maintained the $150,000 bond.

During that hearing, Kutzman said Riggin was on probation with conditions he was supposed to comply with.

Probation and Parole “says you are not doing that,” Kutzman said. “Kids reported that you touched them inappropriately.”

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Kutzman said that since those allegations are being addressed as a violation of the conditions of his release on a suspended sentence from his 2016 conviction, there won’t be a jury trial, and prosecutors don’t have to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Rather, they have to convince a judge that it’s likely Riggin did have inappropriate contact with the Meadow Lark students, he said.

Riggin is a registered Tier 2 sex offender in Montana, which means the risk of a repeat sexual offense is moderate, according to the Montana Department of Justice.

Under Montana law, only Tier 3 sex offenders, which are designated high risk, are automatically barred from living or working within 300 feet of schools, daycares, playgrounds, athletic facilities or another facility “that primarily serves minors, or business or facility having a principal purpose of caring for, educating, or entertaining minors.”

The law doesn’t specifically prohibit Tier 3 offenders, or lower-level sex offenders, from being on school property.

Heather Hoyer, Great Falls Public Schools superintendent, said that the district’s goal is to work with state legislators to review the current laws and “strengthen the law.”

She said school board policies are typically in line with Montana law, so district officials are hoping to change the law to preclude Tier Two sex offenders from being on school property.

Hoyer said some local legislators have expressed interest in reviewing the law and she’ll be meeting with them in August.

In the meantime, “we are taking steps to look at every layer. We will tighten up locally but if we can tighten up through law, that makes everything more solid. We’re focusing on everything we can possibly do to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again,” Hoyer said.

Current school board policy regarding registered sex offenders was last reviewed in 2016.

The policy states that registered sex offenders whose victim was a minor may not come on, about, or within 1,000 feet of any district-owned property, with limited exceptions for offenders who are parents of GFPS students.

“This policy shall not be construed to impose any duty upon any administrator or any other employee of the district to review the Sex Offender Registry or to screen individuals coming on, or within 1,000 feet of school property to ascertain whether they are on the registry. This policy shall only apply when administrators are actually aware that the person in question is on the Sex Offender Registry and that the offender’s victim was a minor,” according to GFPS policy.

School board policy regarding background checks and fingerprinting applies only to individuals who will have unsupervised contact with students while at school, at a school-sponsored activity or in transit to a school-sponsored activity.

In a July 6 motion, Aaron Rains, Riggin’s defense attorney, asked the court to reduce his bail or release him on his own recognizance.

In the motion, Rains wrote that Riggin was present at Meadow Lark Elementary on June 2 because his family’s business, Flippin’ Family Fun, had been contracted by the school for the event.

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His wife and one of his daughters were present, “in addition to hundreds of kids, and multiple schoolteachers and other staff. This event took place outside on school property and was held in the middle of the day. This was the fifth year that the school had contracted Mr. Riggin and Flippin’ Family Fun to help put on this event. Notably, no allegations of misconduct have been alleged during any of the prior events,” Rains wrote.

Riggin refutes the current allegations, Rains wrote and had no previous compliance issues.

“His friends and family remain fully supportive and are prepared to assist in ensuring compliance with any conditions imposed by the court, including GPS monitoring with any exclusion zones the court, state, or his probation officer deem appropriate. Mr. Riggin is not a flight risk and is not a danger to the community,” Rains wrote. “Notably, at the time of this writing, no criminal charges have been filed in relation to the alleged incident at Meadow Lark Elementary.”

In the Meadow Lark incident, prosecutors could potentially charge Riggin with assault a minor, which carries a maximum charge of five years in prison and/or a $50,000.

Depending on what the state could prove regarding what part of the girls’ bodies Riggin touched, prosecutors could potentially charge him with sexual assault, which carries a maximum penalty of six months on a first offense.

Since the victims were less than 16-years-old, the maximum penalty ranges from to life imprisonment or a prison term of not less than four years.

During the July 8 hearing, Judge David Grubich maintained the $150,000 bond.

During that hearing, Rains, Riggn’s attorney, said Riggin had a medical appointment scheduled in Missoula the following day for a “potentially life-threatening medical condition” he was diagnosed with in May 2026.

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County jail staff said they could arrange appointments and treatment for Riggin while he was in custody.

Arguing against the bail reduction, Racki read a section from the psychosexual evaluation in Riggin’s 2016 sentencing in which the evaluator found that Riggin has a specific pattern of sexual abuse, being in a position of trust, which he’s continued with the most recent allegations.

The evaluator said treatment would be difficult because Riggin denies any sexually deviant behavior and shifts blame to other parties, Racki said.

During the July 8 hearing, Grubich said he had concerns about the reported incidents at Meadow Lark Elementary and had to consider the new allegations in context, including the underlying case facts and the psychosexual evaluation from Riggin’s 2016 sentencing.

He said the evaluation reviewed the facts of the Idaho case and the underlying Montana case.

In considering the new allegations, there’s “similarity of how the touching was done and the similarity of the touching itself. This is very reminiscent of the type of touching that began with the victims in the original case. The court has real concerns about protecting the community,” Grubich said.

He said that while Riggin hadn’t been formally written up or revoked previously on parole or probation, he had admitted to looking at pornography while at one of his businesses, for which he received a verbal warning from his probation officer.

Grubich said he read the letters of support for Riggin and “people think he’s a real nice guy.”

But he also read a letter submitted through the county attorney’s office in which the writer stated, “one of the difficult realities of these cases is that individuals who commit sexual offenses are
often perceived as friendly, trustworthy, and well-liked. Those outward qualities can make it
difficult for others to recognize potential danger. This is why accountability and appropriate
safeguards are so important.”

Grubich said it’s not uncommon to see those who commit sexual offenses in court who present good qualities and are well-liked with no criminal history.

The following is from our initial June 25 report.

In their June 23 filing, the county attorney’s office included the violation report from Montana Probation and Parole and letters from the parents of the girls involved.

Tim Hides, the probation officer, wrote that the Great Falls Police Department had received reports that Riggin had inappropriately touched children at a climbing wall during an event at Meadowlark Elementary on June 2.

Hides wrote that Riggin violated his condition of complying with all laws and “conduct myself as a good citizen,” report any arrests or contact with law enforcement to his probation officer within 72 hours.

Hides wrote that his reported behavior at Meadowlark was not that of a good citizen.

One child reported that Riggin had curved his hand up her side, making her feel unsafe, and didn’t know who he was. A second child reported that Riggin brushed his hand from her hip to her sports bra and made her feel uncomfortable and scared.

Hides wrote that Riggin is a registered offender with two prior convictions for sexual offenses and places of employment.

“Again, we have very questionable behavior involving employment,” Hides wrote.

Since starting his suspended sentence in 2021, Riggin has owned several businesses with his wife involving minor children, Hides wrote, and he’d received several complaints during that time of Riggin being around children.

Hides wrote that he advised those complainants that Riggin could be around children at his places of work.

Hides wrote that he was recently contacted by a parent from a gymnastics gym in Hamilton that Riggin was around children and had yelled at her when she raised her concerns to Riggin. She wrote that she contacted SafeSport, a governing agency for youth sports, asking that Riggin be trespassed from the gym, according to Hides’ report.

Riggin had one violation under supervision since his release, Hides wrote, in admitting that he looked at pornography of adult women at one of his businesses, for which he received a verbal warning.

Hides wrote in his report that he recommended an arrest warrant be issued for Riggin to appear in court to determine if he’d violated the terms of his suspended sentence.

If the court finds Riggin in violation, Hides wrote that he recommended Riggin be placed at the Montana State Prison and that the recommended conditions regarding contact with children from the original pre-sentence investigation be imposed.

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“The circumstances of this violation are of concern. [Riggin] is a Tier 2 sexual offender who has two prior convictions for sexual offenses and he is assisting children with harnesses in a private area. According to the parents, [Riggin] had no reason to have his hands anywhere near the girl’s breasts or under arms as the harnesses go around the girls’ waists. [Riggin’s] actions put these girls in fear by the way he touched them. The devastation can be seen” Hides wrote, in the letters from the parents of the girls involved.

Judge Dirk Sandefur included the following conditions in his August 2016 sentencing order:

• [Riggin] shall not employ, supervise, care for, treat, or otherwise exercise any form of direct or indirect control over any non-family female persons.
• [Riggin] shall not be on site during business hours at any family business or any other family business he may have a family interest in that has female patrons or employees.

But in November 2016, at [Riggin’s] request, Sandefur issued an order that [Riggin] “shall not hold direct supervisory control over any non-family female employees, but he shall be allowed to interact in public places with patrons of the business.”

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The conflict between the initial and amended conditions has caused challenges for probation officers, according to the county attorney’s office.

One of the mothers wrote that she was volunteering at the sixth-grade end-of-year party at her daughter’s school, Meadowlark Elementary, on June 2.

Near the end of the event, her daughter said she’d been touched inappropriately by the man working the Flippin’ Family Fun rock-climbing wall, according to the letter.

“Her face was pale, stoic, and she was uncontrollably shaking,” the mother wrote.

Other sixth-grade girls made similar reports, the mother wrote, and she informed the school principal.

She wrote that she searched him online after the incident and was “shocked” to find he’s a local convicted sex offender.

“I still cannot understand how this man was given access to my daughter and these girls at school. How is this man, who is known to have sexually assaulted multiple women, in multiple states, able to continue harming and traumatizing victims,” she wrote. “The worst part is knowing that this easily could have been prevented.”

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The mother wrote that there was clear video footage of Riggin “running his hand up and
down the body of my 12-year-old daughter’s sports bra, exactly in the manner described and I want to know what is going to be done to protect her and others from this man.”

Parents of the second girl wrote that their daughter was looking forward to the event but was instead made to feel uncomfortable by a grown adult.

“This man was to keep her safe as she was going on a rock wall. He was to ensure her harness was safe for her to climb, instead he touched her where the harness was not located,” they wrote.

The girl talked to a trusted adult at school, but didn’t tell her parents. After school that night, “She was different. She was angry with everything and everyone,” they wrote.

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The next day, they received a phone call from the school explaining what had happened and that the matter was being referred to GFPD.

After that, the girl asked her mom if she believed her.

“That gutted me, she was more terrified that no one would believe her, that she internalized it. Internalizing it was no longer an option at school, she had to tell us. As her parents, we are incredibly angry. She was supposed to be safe and having the time of her life at one of the last major events at her elementary school and that was robbed from her. She has cried randomly since that day and we have made sure she feels safe, loved and seen, but this has made her second-guess a lot of things. This man took her confidence and security with everyday interactions and squashed them,” they wrote. “We understand that some of the school officials recognized this man but did not communicate with the principal to have him removed. I also do not understand how he was allowed to be in that setting with his history. We don’t want this to happen to any other child or adult; he needs to be taken seriously in our judicial system as well as with our school system. The systems that are as much responsible needs to step up at this time as scenarios as these that have happened to our child could be much worse if allowed to continue.”

Lance Boyd and Jackie Mainwaring, GFPS assistant superintendents, told The Electric that they were made aware of the incident afterward.

They said law enforcement was notified immediately and administrators talked with the parents of the students involved.

“This behavior is not okay with us,” Mainwaring said and thanked GFPD and the county attorney’s office for taking the reports seriously.

They said school staff and PTA members weren’t expecting the vendor to stay on site when they rented the climbing wall for the end-of-year celebration, but reviewed the incident during their end-of-year team meeting recently. Boyd said they emphasized the due diligence and protocols that needed to be followed for having third-party vendors at events on school grounds during school hours.