GREAT FALLS – Eugene Edwin Sherbondy has been charged in Great Falls with endangering the welfare of children and tampering with a witness or informant.
In court on Thursday, Sherbondy pleaded not guilty to both charges.
According to court documents, on Aug. 7, 2017 a Great Falls police officer received a phone call from a deputy with the Pondera County Sheriff’s Office who said that he had been contacted by a man who claimed that he used to live with Sherbondy in Great Falls.
The man alleged that Sherbondy was involved in the distribution of pills and also "sells his stepchildren."
The man claimed that Sherbondy and Sherbondy’s wife took the two children out of school and "sells" them for $800 per month.
A Great Falls police officer began investigating and contacted a woman at Sherbondy’s residence. The woman reportedly made several conflicting statements about where the children were, and ultimately claimed that her daughter was with family in Browning, and her son was with family in Valier.
The officer later confirmed that the children were not at those locations, but did receive information from the Browning family member that caused additional concern about the welfare of the children. The family member said that Sherbondy’s home is "hazardous and dirty," and he uses padlocks throughout the house.
After obtaining a search warrant, police searched the residence in October 2017 and found the two children, as well as a syringe on the kitchen floor which later tested positive for meth.
In November 2017, Sherbondy was arrested on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child.
In February 2018, according to court documents, a person disclosed that Sherbondy had asked another person to make a false statement about witnessing a rape between two adults in connection with the case, resulting in a charge of tampering with a witness or informant.
Shannon Carmen Chippewa is listed as a co-defendant on the charge of endangering the welfare of a child. It was unclear if she has been arraigned.
