Previously Convicted Terry Man Gets 10 Years for Child Sex Abuse Material

BILLINGS — A Terry man who possessed child sex abuse material was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison followed by 30 years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.

Ronald Orrin Schultz Jr., 45, pleaded guilty in April to one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided over the sentencing hearing in Billings.

Schultz was also ordered to pay a $100 fine and a $5,000 special assessment.

The case stemmed from a June 2023 investigation when a file of suspected child sex abuse material was uploaded to the messaging platform KIK. The video depicted a prepubescent male engaged in sexual activity with an adult, according to court documents.

Law enforcement traced the upload to an IP address associated with a residence in Terry, where Schultz, a previously convicted federal sex offender, lived.

A search warrant was executed on March 14, 2024, at Schultz’s residence. During the search, Schultz denied knowing anything about KIK but identified where his electronic media could be found, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Law enforcement collected Schultz’s electronic devices, including his cellphone, which connected him to the KIK account in question.

A review of Schultz’s electronic media revealed he had an interest in minor females and corresponded in a sexual nature with individuals he believed to be underage, prosecutors said.

Court documents revealed particularly disturbing evidence of Schultz’s defiant attitude toward his criminal behavior. Investigators found videos of Schultz making representations expressing a willingness to go to jail as a result, showing a brazen disregard for the law despite his previous federal conviction.

His statements suggest that for this repeat offender, the prospect of imprisonment was viewed as an acceptable cost rather than a meaningful consequence, raising serious concerns about rehabilitation and the protection of potential victims. This brazen attitude likely influenced the court’s decision to impose not only the decade-long prison term but also an unusually lengthy 30-year period of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Prairie County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

“Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims,” according to the Justice Department.

The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.