BRIDGER MAN GETS 120 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEX CRIMES

October 24, 2019
Phoebe Tollefson
Billings Gazette

A Bridger man was sentenced to 120 years in prison on Wednesday after being convicted of sex crimes against two victims.
Gene Deveraux, 55, was sentenced to a net term of 120 years in Carbon County District Court on Wednesday, with a mandatory 25-year-parole restriction because one victim was younger than 13-years-old.
Judge Matthew Wald sentenced Deveraux on the six counts of sex crimes, including rape, after a jury convicted him in June.
Carbon County Attorney Alex Nixon had asked for a 150-year prison term, while defense attorneys recommended 20 years, with 10 years suspended.
Deveraux continues to deny he committed the crimes.
“Mr. Devereaux strenuously maintains his innocence,” wrote defense attorney Colin Stephens, of Missoula, in an email. “We have the greatest respect for Judge Wald and his sentencing authority, but we disagree with the sentence and look forward to the appeal.”
The judge designated Deveraux a level one sex offender, which is the lowest of three levels and denotes a low risk for sexual re-offending. The risk level typically comes from a recommendation by a psycho-sexual evaluator.
Deveraux carried out his crimes over years and the victims did not report them immediately, Nixon said, which is not uncommon in sex crimes, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
“The state simply relies on the decision of the jurors in this trial, who got a chance to listen to not only the victims, but the defendant testify,” Nixon said.
The judge's sentence tallied 470 years for the six counts, but because he ordered five of the counts to be served concurrently, the net sentence was for 120 years in prison.
https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/bridger-man-gets-years-in-prison-for-sex-crimes/article_128312b7-fa7b-526e-ac11-047ee7694a84.html

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