BILLINGS - A purported militia member from Billings who was arrested following a standoff in Livingston appeared for arraignment Friday in Yellowstone County District Court on charges of child sexual abuse.
Timothy Allen Westervelt, 34, appeared in court by video from the Yellowstone County jail and entered not guilty pleas to two counts of felony sexual abuse of children (16 years or younger), and one felony count each of sexual intercourse without consent (inflicts bodily injury or victim less than 16 offender 4 years older) and sexual abuse of children (possession of material).
A judge set bond at $250,000 after hearing details from a prosecutor about how Westervelt was arrested recently with a firearm in Livingston following a standoff with law enforcement. The judge ordered Westervelt to have no contact with minors, including a 13-year-old identified as the sexual abuse victim.
A prosecutor at the hearing said Westervelt learned of the arrest warrant related to the child rape charges on Monday evening and called law enforcement threatening suicide. He was located the next day at a coffee shop in Livingston and barricaded himself in the business while armed with a handgun. Authorities successfully evacuated the store and a nearby grocery and people inside a nearby hotel were ordered to shelter in place until Westervelt eventually surrendered and was arrested.
Westervelt recently identified himself to Q2 News as a member of the Yellowstone Militia, a group "dedicated to constitutional militia," according to its website.
"All law abiding Men and Women are welcome, regardless of circumstance," states a portion of the group's mission statement.
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