Summary
Russell Harbin was a Mormon church member in Polson, Montana.
Harbin was convicted of sexual intercourse without consent with an 11-year-old. The alleged abuse took place from 2022 to 2024.
He was sentenced in January 2025 to 40 years in prison. The judge suspended 20 years of the 40-year term.
A person familiar with the case told FLOODLIT that Harbin was assigned to be a Primary teacher sometime after the abuse began.
The bishop of Harbin’s ward was Andrew Jensen in the St. Ignatius, Montana ward, the person said.
The person asked to remain anonymous.
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Donate »Facts
Alleged coverup- Criminal: Convicted, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Primary,
- During crime: Primary,
- When accused: Unknown position,
- Crime: 2020s, in Montana,
- Convicted: 2025,
- Crime scenes: Unknown crime scene,
- Victims: 1 victim,
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Born: 1974
- Mission: unknown
- Locations: Montana,
Sources
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1. Harbin accused of child sexual assault
Judge John A. Mercer set a trial date of Jan. 13 for a Polson man accused of assaulting a child.
Russell Norman Harbin, 50, entered a plea of not guilty in District Court at Polson Sept. 12 to felony counts of sexual intercourse without consent and sexual assault. The charges carry a maximum of life in prison.
According to court records the alleged abuse began on Jan. 24, 2022, when the alleged victim was 11 years old, and continued until Aug. 29 of this year. The state, represented by Lori Adams with the Lake County Attorney’s Office, objected to an own recognizance release arguing that the abuse occurred weekly during the two-year span.
Judge Mercer agreed and maintained bail at $50,000.
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2. Polson man sentenced to 40 years for rape
A Polson man was sentenced to the Montana State Prison for 40 years for sexual intercourse without consent.
The sentence for Russell Norman Harbin, 50, was handed down in District Court in Polson Jan. 30 by Judge Robert G. Olson. Judge Olson is retired out of Kalispell and filling in the vacancy in Dept. 2 of the 20th Judicial District.
The sentence was in accordance with a plea agreement reached Dec. 3, 2024, that dismissed one count of sexual assault. Judge Olson suspended 20 years of the 40-year term. Harbin won’t be eligible for parole until he has served 10 years in prison.
According to court records, the abuse began on Jan. 24, 2022, when the victim was 11 years old. The abuse continued until Aug. 29, 2024.
Judge Olson gave Harbin credit for having already served 151 days in jail.
Documents
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Criminal case documents
FLOODLIT does not have a copy of a related probable cause affidavit. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for one.Civil case documents
We do not know of any related civil cases, so no related civil case documents exist. If you have information that suggests otherwise, please contact us.
