Unnamed children - 9, 12, 13 and 15 yo/ Convicted: William Albert Province - Helena, MT

Man admits to waterboarding kids, gets 2 years of probation
William Albert Province

March 11, 2013 4:35 pm • By SANJAY TALWANI Independent Record
A Jefferson County man accused of waterboarding children was sentenced to two years of probation Friday.

William Albert Province, 42, initially faced felony charges including allegedly making threats against public officials following his arrest in December as he exited a plane at Helena Regional Airport.

Friday in District Court in Boulder, Province admitted to four misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The admissions came as part of a plea agreement.

Prosecutors originally said he simulated drowning four boys and made threats to a local school and others.

In keeping with the plea agreement, District Judge James B. Wheelis sentenced Province to 180 days in jail, all suspended, for each of the four misdemeanor endangerment charges, for a total of two years on probation, minus the 80 days he has already spent in custody.

Jefferson County Attorney Mathew Johnson said the plea agreement was reached after a thorough review of the evidence, and the charge of making threats was dismissed in return for his guilty pleas in the waterboarding cases.

A prosecution for partner or family member assault was deferred as part of the plea agreement.

At the time of his arrest, prosecutors said in an affidavit that a witness had reported that Province possessed body armor, multiple assault rifles and armor-piercing ammunition. Later, investigators found some ammunition and three rifles that may have belonged to Province. Authorities did not elaborate on what kinds of weapons specifically were found or suspected.

http://helenair.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-admits-to-waterboarding-kids-gets-years-of-probation/article_faf74f5e-8a9b-11e2-afb7-0019bb2963f4.html

Montana man pleads guilty to waterboarding children
HELENA, Mont. A Montana man accused of waterboarding four children as a learning experience for them has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in which he will receive probation.

The children were the Jefferson County man's 9- and 12-year-old sons and two neighbor kids, ages 13 and 15, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

The 42-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to four misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors dropped felony charges that included making threats against public officials and others.

In keeping with the plea agreement, District Judge James B. Wheelis sentenced the man to 180 days in jail for each charge, all suspended. That amounts to two years of probation, minus the 80 days he has already spent in custody, the Independent Record reported.

The Associated Press is withholding the man's name because it doesn't identify minors who are victims of crime or abuse, and releasing the man's name would identify his sons.

According to CBS affiliate KXLH, the man was arrested in December as he got off an airplane in Helena from a trip to Alaska.

His girlfriend at the time said he broke her wrist and some fingers Dec. 5 when she tried to stop him from waterboarding his sons, court documents said. She said the man straddled each boy with his hands over the child's face and mouth, and dumped water on their faces to simulate drowning, the records said.

The woman told investigators that the man described it as a learning experience for the boys.

The two neighbor children told a Child Protective Services worker that the man also had waterboarded them, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said in court records that a witness had reported that the man had body armor, assault rifles and armor-piercing ammunition.

Investigators found some ammunition and three rifles that may have belonged to the man. Authorities did not elaborate on what kinds of weapons specifically were found or suspected.

Jefferson County Attorney Mathew Johnson said the plea deal was reached after a thorough review of the evidence. The agreement calls for deferring prosecution of the man on a charge of partner or family member assault.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57574039/montana-man-pleads-guilty-to-waterboarding-children/

I hope he does not have contact with those kids again. William

He should have spent some time in jail.

I agree. It's like the woman that drugged, raped and murdered little 8 year old Sandra Cantu. She pleaded out to get out of the death penality when her trail was not going her way. They all plead out to get out of more harsh sentences.

This man should be in jail. I pray that he does not have any contact with any children, ever.

William