HELENA – A former Polson police officer pleaded guilty today to one count of sexual abuse of children and one count of incest in the Twentieth Judicial District Court in Lake County, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today.

Matthew Timm, 42, admitted to knowingly photographing and filming a girl under the age of 18 between January 2017 and March 2023. The sexual abuse of children charge stemmed from an individual finding a flash drive that was located in the home of the victim, which contained images of the victim.

The girl indicated Timm had started touching her in a sexual manner when she was 12 or 13 years old and continued into her high school years. The victim also indicated she had previously caught Timm filming her when he secretly placed recording devices in her bathroom.

The prosecutors and Timm agreed to a 40-year sentence with 30 years suspended. Timm agreed to serve the 10 years in prison in its entirety as he will not be eligible for parole. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, July 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Polson.

Prosecution Services Bureau Chief and Assistant Attorney General Daniel Guzynski and Assistant Attorney General Caitlin Creighton are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Division of Criminal Investigation and Lake County Sheriff’s Office. To read the charging documents, click here and here. Read the plea agreement here.