20-year sentence in incest case

A Thompson Falls man was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana State Prison this week on charges of sexual assault and incest. Richard Grimm pleaded guilty in February to one count of felony sexual assault and one count of felony incest. The incident involving his granddaughter occurred in July 2017.

Judge James Manley sentenced Grimm to 10 years in the Montana State Prison for sexual assault and 10 years for incest. No time was suspended from the sentences, which Manley ordered to run consecutively. Grimm was given credit for 78 days served in the Sanders County Jail and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $541.14.

“There are no losers or winners in this case, but at least you are not going to hurt any more children,” Judge Manley said Tuesday in 20th Judicial District Court. He noted that the victim is a hero in this case. “Because of her courage, she has stopped the cycle for this family.”

As part of Grimm’s plea agreement, another case against him was dismissed. Sanders County Attorney Robert Zimmerman had recommended the maximum possible sentence of life in prison for the sexual assault charge and 100 years in prison for the incest charge.

“I made the biggest mistake of my entire life. I don’t know why,” Grimm told the court before his sentence was pronounced. “I’m so sorry and will do everything in my power to fix this.”

As part of his sentence, Grimm will be required to complete phase one of the sexual offender treatment before being considered for parole, and in the event he is released on parole, will be required to register as a tier two sexual offender.