Strommen Found Guilty Of Rape

Former Valley County Undersheriff Luke Strommen, 42, was convicted July 17 of raping a teenager. He was charged with sexual intercourse without consent after a teen girl reported that he raped her approximately 50 times from 2009-2011. The abuse began when the victim was 14 years old.

According to victim testimony, the majority of encounters occurred inside Strommen’s patrol vehicle, often while parked at a friend’s home in Valley County. Strommen initiated the abuse during a hotel stay with the victim and Strommen’s family in Great Falls in September 2009.

In October, Strommen pleaded guilty to another charge of soliciting sexually explicit images from a 17-year-old.

Strommen worked for the Valley County Sheriff’s Office beginning in 2009 before resigning in November 2018. He was promoted to undersheriff in January 2017 and put on paid leave in June 2018 amidst an investigation into his relationship with one of the teen girls.

Stommen’s trial began Monday, July 13, in Valley County District Court. He was taken into custody after the verdict was read. He is currently detained in the Roosevelt County Detention Center.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 28 at the Valley County Courthouse. Strommen faces life in prison or a sentence of no more than 100 years or no less than four years.