Jan 31, 2008 - Lovell High School teacher Troy S. Pittman, 33, a history teacher and football coach at Powell High School in the 1990s, was bound over for trial after a judge found probable cause for two counts of indecent liberties with a child. A third count was dismissed.
Pittman is accused of providing alcohol and pornography to minor boys (ages 13 - 15) at a private residence and persuading them to engage in specific sexual activities while he watched, according to the affidavit. The incidents occurred more than a decade ago when Pittman was an assistant football coach at Powell High School, the affidavit states.Pittman most recently had been a history teacher and football coach at Lovell High School.
He no longer works at Lovell High School. The superintendent for Big Horn County School District 2 said state laws requiring confidentiality of personnel records prevented him from providing further information on the change in Pittman's employment status.
Jan 31 - Pittman was charged in Big Horn County on Oct. 22 on what is apparently a separate matter. [tt- It is unclear what the charges were and if they involved students at Lovell HIgh School.] Rumors of his arrest in Big Horn County prompted additional disclosures about incidents alleged to have taken place more than a decade ago Powell High School. [tt -The Big Horn County charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement in Park County.]
---------------------------
LEGAL NOTE (from article): Under a state law passed last year, all information about sex crimes cases is kept confidential until the matter advances to District Court.
---------------------------
ARRAIGNMENT & NOT GUILTY PLEA April 5, 2008 - Pittman pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent liberties with a child. No trial date has been set.
GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING September 7 - Pittman pleaded guilty in Park County to one count of taking indecent liberties with a minor. Pittman was sentenced to three to five years in prison -- with time suspended -- in favor of 5 years of supervised probation.
The boys in the case refused to cooperate with prosecutors which led to the plea agreement. District Court Judge John Brackley, however, was stern.
Brackley told Pittman that he would ordinarily be "treated more harshly" during sentencing, but he understood that the complications in prosecuting the case justified the plea agreement as recommended by prosecutors.State law requires that Pittman register as a sex offender.
"It may seem pretty easy," Brackley told Pittman in describing the sentence."But believe me, there are people out there in the community that have taken a dim view of your conduct," he said, adding that Pittman should take his sentence seriously.
