Settlement in case of former Great Falls teacher accused of child sex abuse

GREAT FALLS — William James Harning, a former Great Falls High School teacher who was charged last year after investigators found child pornography on his phone, has reached a deal with prosecutors.

In December 2021, the principal of Great Falls High School contacted Great Falls police to report that Harning had sent a 17-year-old student an “inappropriate photo of his penis” that allegedly showed Harning’s face.

That same day, GFPD officers contacted Harning in his prep classroom and obtained a warrant to search his phone.

Court documents say that “due to the high number of outstanding devices,” Harning’s phone was not searched until May 2023 and the results were turned over to a GFPD detective.

The detective noted “numerous” sexually explicit images of children between the ages of 5 and 17, as well as sexually explicit images taken by Harning.

Great Falls Public Schools Superintendent Tom Moore said immediate action was taken upon learning of the incident by placing Harning on administrative leave. Moore said Harning resigned and has not returned to the district.

Moore said the district forwarded all of its information to the Montana Office of Public Education for an investigation, and Harning’s teaching license was revoked.

On August 31, 2023, Harning was formally charged in Cascade County with six counts of aggravated child sexual abuse.

On August 29, 2024, Harning entered into a plea agreement under which six counts of felony child sexual abuse were amended to two misdemeanor counts of obscenity, the second of which was dismissed.

Montana Code Annotation 45-8-201 states, among other things, that:

Under the MCA, a person convicted of obscenity may be fined not less than $500 but not more than $1,000, or imprisoned in the county jail for a period not exceeding six months, or both.

Under the plea agreement, Harning will be required to register as a sex offender in Montana and pay a $500 fine.

He was also sentenced to six months in the Cascade County Detention Center, suspended.