Man Charged in Assault of Elementary School Girl

45-year-old Chad Meeks has been charged with sexual assault after an elementary school student told school officials he abused her, according to charging documents.  Meeks appeared Monday in Yellowstone County Justice Court where Justice of the Peace David Carter set bond at $150,000.  The Billings Gazette reports that Meeks inappropriately touched the child multiple times and told her not to tell.  However, the child told her school counselor she was afraid of him.

Once Meeks learned the child had implicated him in the crime, he quit his job and planned to flee, despite being on parole for a federal offense.  The child’s mother reportedly tried to convince investigators that her child was fabricating the stories and has since recanted.  The mother has a history of protecting offenders after a reported crime and showed hostility to people helping her daughter.