Jury finds Mission man not guilty of sexual abuse charge

A Lake County man was found not guilty of sexual abuse of a child by a Lake County jury during a trial held Dec. 2-3.

The trial for Charles Henry “Pete” Zeiler, 47, of St. Ignatius, began in District Court in Polson Monday, Dec. 2, and ended with the not-guilty verdict being delivered the following afternoon.

According to court records, Zeiler was accused of responding to a classified advertisement on social media in 2023. The ad was posted by an agent with the FBI. Zeiler pleaded not guilty to the charge.