Arlee man admits to raping 15-year-old girl

An Arlee man, accused of raping a 15-year-old girl, admitted to the charge in District Court in Polson Oct. 24. Michael Charlo, 62, entered a plea of guilty to sexual intercourse without consent.

Judge John A. Mercer sentenced Charlo to the Montana State Prison for 20 years, with none of that time suspended. The sentence will run consecutively to a 10-year term with the Montana Department Corrections. That term was for violating probation stemming from a 2010 DUI conviction.

The change of plea/sentencing hearing occurred one day after Charlo’s sister, Sunny Michelle Charlo, 44, was arraigned on felony charges of assault with a weapon and tampering with witnesses.

The charges allegedly stem from her attempting to persuade the mother of the victim in Michael Charlo’s case to drop the charges against him. She pleaded not guilty before Judge Molly Owen. Her trial is set for March 31.

According to charging documents, on Feb. 22 Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence in Arlee and spoke with the alleged victim. She indicated that she woke up to Charlo having sex with her, with her clothing pulled down to her ankles.

She said she went to her mom’s room to calm down and Charlo followed, while apologizing, saying she was beautiful. She also indicated that he offered her money. The girl also stated that she had fallen asleep on the couch with her blue underwear on, and when she woke up, her underwear was missing.

When questioned by the deputies, Charlo stated he had gone to the girl’s house the night before and was drinking with the girl’s mother. He indicated that he was drinking whiskey and smoking marijuana.

He admitted that he was alone with the girl for about 15 minutes that morning. When Charlo was arrested, he was in possession of the girl’s missing underwear.

Judge Mercer gave Charlo credit for already having served 196 days in jail. He could be eligible for parole in about seven and a half years.