A registered sex offender is behind bars after new allegations that he inappropriately touched young girls at a Great Falls elementary school event — and court documents reveal a years-long pattern of concerns that probation officers say their hands were tied to address.
Reese Russell Riggin, 38, was booked into the Spokane County Jail on June 25 after Cascade County District Court Judge David Grubich signed an arrest warrant tied to allegations that he violated the terms of his suspended sentence. He was arrested in Spokane, where he was attending a three-on-three youth basketball tournament. Bond was set at $150,000.
(WATCH: Great Falls residents concerned following accusations of registered sex offender interacting with students)
Riggin pleaded guilty in 2016 to felony sexual intercourse without consent in violation of M.C.A. §45-5-503(1) and was sentenced to 20 years with 15 years suspended. He was released in November 2017 and began serving the suspended portion of his sentence in August 2021. He is a registered Tier 2 sex offender in Montana, meaning the state has assessed him as posing a moderate risk of a repeat sexual offense. Court documents note he has two prior convictions for sexual offenses.
For Shannon McNamara, a former Great Falls resident, the alarm bells went off long before the Meadowlark incident.
"My mother-in-law had informed me, actually, on, like, who this person was and what his history was. So, I ended up googling and looking it up," McNamara said.
McNamara was researching Flippin' Family Fun, a trampoline park she was considering taking her children to, when she discovered Riggin's criminal history.
"So we're definitely not going to have any involvement with the trampoline park," she said.
What troubled McNamara — and what court documents now confirm — is that Riggin was operating businesses involving children despite his conviction. The explanation lies in a series of court orders that created a significant legal gray area.
Riggin's original August 2016 sentencing conditions, issued by Judge Dirk Sandefur, prohibited him from employing, supervising, caring for, or exercising any form of direct or indirect control over non-family female persons. He was also prohibited from being on site during business hours at any family business with female patrons or employees.
But just three months later, in November 2016, at Riggin's own request, Judge Sandefur amended those conditions. The new order allowed Riggin to interact with patrons of his businesses in public places, as long as he did not hold direct supervisory control over non-family female employees. According to the Cascade County Attorney's Office, the conflict between the original and amended conditions created challenges for probation officers. When community members raised concerns about Riggin being around children at his businesses, probation officer Tim Hides wrote that he advised those complainants that Riggin could be around children at his places of work — because the amended conditions technically allowed it.
"I had always assumed, like, he was not supposed to be, like, operating these businesses or interacting with these businesses," McNamara said.
McNamara says she witnessed Riggin personally at Kaboom, a laser tag business, where he appeared to be running the operation himself.
"One of my girlfriends had leaned over to me and like, told me, like, that's that guy. And so, yeah, I can say that he was definitely there operating the business by himself. With what looked to be like high school age girls, as employees," she said.
The Meadowlark Incident:
According to court documents, Great Falls Police received reports that Riggin had inappropriately touched children while working a climbing wall at Meadowlark Elementary School through his Flippin' Family Fun business during a sixth-grade end-of-year celebration. Two girls reported being touched inappropriately while Riggin assisted them with safety harnesses. One child said Riggin moved his hand up her side, making her feel unsafe. A second child reported he brushed his hand from her hip to her sports bra, making her feel uncomfortable and scared.
One mother described her daughter as pale, stoic, and uncontrollably shaking after the incident. She later found video footage she described as showing Riggin "running his hand up and down the body of my 12-year-old daughter's sports bra, exactly in the manner described."
Parents of the second girl wrote that their daughter was different after the event — angry, crying randomly, and second-guessing everyday interactions. "This man took her confidence and security with everyday interactions and squashed them," they wrote.
Hides wrote in his report that Riggin had no reason to have his hands anywhere near the girls' breasts or underarms, as the harnesses go around the waist.
"The circumstances of this violation are of concern. [Riggin] is a Tier 2 sexual offender who has two prior convictions for sexual offenses and he is assisting children with harnesses in a private area. According to the parents, [Riggin] had no reason to have his hands anywhere near the girl's breasts or under arms as the harnesses go around the girls' waists. [Riggin's] actions put these girls in fear by the way he touched them. The devastation can be seen," Hides wrote.
When students reported the behavior, school administration immediately notified law enforcement and the Department of Family Services.
The School's Response:
Great Falls Public Schools sent a letter to Meadowlark families addressing the incident. The district said its current building administrator was not aware of Riggin's identity or prior convictions before the incident was reported. Concerns about Riggin had reportedly been brought to members of a previous administration, but the amended release conditions would not have prohibited his presence at the event regardless.
The district said Flippin' Family Fun had provided the rock climbing wall for the sixth-grade celebration for years. This year's parent committee arranged for the equipment only and was unaware Riggin would remain on site after delivery.
GFPS Executive Director Jackie Mainwaring wrote in the letter: "We are exceptionally saddened for the families involved and unequivocally condemn any behavior that compromises the safety or trust of the children entrusted to our care."
The district says it will no longer use Flippin' Family Fun as a vendor. It is also conducting a thorough review of volunteer, vendor, and special event procedures and has created a repository of individuals who should not have access to schools.
A Pattern of Concerns:
Court documents reveal the Meadowlark incident was not the first time concerns had been raised about Riggin's proximity to children. Hides noted in his report that since beginning his suspended sentence in 2021, Riggin had owned several businesses involving minor children and received multiple complaints. A parent from a gymnastics gym in Hamilton reported that Riggin was around children and yelled at her when she raised concerns. She contacted SafeSport, a governing agency for youth sports, asking that Riggin be removed from the gym.
Hides also noted one prior violation during supervision — Riggin admitted to viewing adult pornography at one of his businesses, for which he received a verbal warning.
"Again, we have very questionable behavior involving employment," Hides wrote.
What Comes Next:
Cascade County Attorney Joshua A. Racki filed a petition on June 23 asking the court to revoke Riggin's suspended sentence entirely. If the court finds Riggin violated the terms of his sentence, Hides recommends he be placed at Montana State Prison and that previous conditions related to contact with children be imposed — conditions that would include a prohibition on any employment, service, or recreational pursuit involving the supervision of children.
If released on bond prior to his court appearance, Riggin would be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor, have no contact with any alleged victim or potential witness, have no association with anyone under 18, and stay away from all Great Falls Public Schools property.
Riggin is to be transported back to Great Falls to appear before Judge Grubich. MTN News has reached out to Flippin' Family Fun for comment and has not received a response.
