Martin City Babysitter Sentenced to 40 Years for Child Pornography Crimes

MISSOULA — A Martin City man who produced and distributed child pornography of a 6-year-old girl he babysat was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Raymond Owen Bonner, 40, received 480 months in prison followed by lifetime supervised release from U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. Bonner pleaded guilty in July to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.

The 40-year sentence significantly exceeds the mandatory minimum of 15 years for production of child pornography.

Investigation and Arrest

Court documents revealed that an FBI undercover agent discovered Bonner in August 2024 while operating in online applications known for trafficking child sexual abuse material. Bonner had posted messages to a chat room in June and July 2024 stating he had access to a 6-year-old girl and was sexually abusing the child.

“The user, later identified as Bonner, posted images and videos of his abuse that verified his hands-on access to Doe. Bonner told other users in the chat room he was Doe’s babysitter,” court documents state.

When investigators responded to Bonner’s Martin City address on Sept. 5, 2024, he fled his residence before law enforcement arrived. FBI agents located the victim at a nearby home within 24 hours.

The victim and others confirmed Bonner was her babysitter and later identified him as the person abusing her in the images and videos he had distributed. The FBI seized several devices from Bonner’s home, including a cell phone that contained images and videos matching those posted to the chat room.

Bonner was arrested on Sept. 19, 2024, two weeks after fleeing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.

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