Ex-undersheriff guilty of raping teen, Valley County jury finds

The former undersheriff in Valley County was convicted on Friday of raping a teen.

Luke Strommen's trial on one count of sexual intercourse without consent began in Valley County District Court on Monday. Strommen, born in 1977, was taken into custody after the trial concluded.

Strommen was charged with sexual intercourse without consent after a girl reported that he had raped her roughly 50 times from 2009 to 2011, starting when she was 14 years old. The victim has said the majority of encounters took place inside Strommen’s patrol vehicle, which she said he parked outside of his friend’s home in a remote area of Valley County.

Strommen initiated the sexual relationship during a hotel stay with the victim and Strommen's family in Great Falls in September of 2009, according to trial testimony. Strommen was soon to begin law enforcement training, and the Great Falls trip was a family getaway.

Read more: https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/ex-undersheriff-guilty-of-raping-teen-valley-county-jury-finds/article_df33fa3f-8ed4-5489-a811-7489ac70cdaa.html