HELENA – A Valier man was sentenced to 60 years in the Montana State Prison with 35 years suspended following his guilty plea to sexual assault of a minor, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today.

Edward S. Kleinsasser, 36, was sentenced March 28 after previously pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault in the Montana Ninth Judicial District Court in Pondera County. Kleinsasser admitted to sexually assaulting a girl when she was 8 and 9 years old between June 2019 and April 2021. Kleinsasser must complete sexual offender treatment before he is eligible for parole and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

Assistant Attorneys General Selene Koepke and Stephanie Robles prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Pondera County Sheriff’s Office and the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), under the direction of DCI Agent Noah Scott.