A former Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch employee was charged with sexually abusing three underage girls at the facility.
John Wesley Whiteside, 26, pleaded not guilty Monday in Yellowstone County District Court to four felonies and two misdemeanors related to the sexual abuse of minors.
Judge David Carter ordered Whiteside be held at Yellowstone County jail on $100,000 bail. If released, he is not allowed contact with minors.
On May 23, 2025, Yellowstone County sheriff’s deputies began when a worker at the ranch said a female resident had disclosed alleged inappropriate behavior Whiteside to a therapist, according to charging docs.
Deputies interviewed three girls, ages 14, 15 and 16, who said they were victims.
The 14-year-old girl said Whiteside wrapped his arm around her and groped her breast.
The 15-year-old girl said Whiteside make inappropriate comments to her and once walked in while she was changing and tried to put his hand down her pants.
The 16-year-old said Whiteside grabbed her backside multiple times and had inappropriate, sexualized conversations with multiple girls.
Yellowstone Boys and Girls and Ranch is a state-licensed facility between Billings and Laurel that provides psychiatric and therapeutic care for troubled youths.
Whiteside is the second Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch employee to be charged with a sex offense this year. In February, Timothy Allen Westervelt was charged for inappropriately touching two female residents.
Whiteside worked at the boys and girls ranch for about a month, from April 2025 through May 2025.
His next court date is scheduled for Sept. 29. A public defender was assigned to the case.
