Bozeman man accused of possessing over 1,000 child pornography videos and images

BOZEMAN — A Bozeman man is facing multiple child molestation charges after police allegedly found several images and videos of child pornography on his cell phone.

George Lee Tingstrom, 50, appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court on Wednesday on eight counts of child sexual abuse.

MTN News

Court documents state that on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Tingstrom’s partner came to the Bozeman Public Safety Center and told a Bozeman Police officer that she believed Tingstrom was distributing child pornography.

According to the investigator, the woman said she was previously married to Tingstrom and began a relationship with him again about a year ago. She reportedly became suspicious that he was cheating on her and searched his phone for evidence.

The woman is said to have found several social media accounts and chats about incest and child pornography. According to court documents, Tingstrom claimed in a chat that he was in possession of child pornography.

The woman reportedly told police Tingstrom was at his place of work. Officers detained him there and retrieved his cell phone after reading him his Miranda rights. Tingstrom denied having child pornography on his cell phone.

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According to court records, Tingstrom was arrested for a separate traffic violation and taken to the Gallatin County Detention Center. The investigator obtained a search warrant for Tingstrom’s phone and reportedly found more than 1,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse that were “extremely graphic in nature.”

Court documents say the images and videos showed adult men engaging in sexual acts with children ranging from infancy to toddlerhood and prepubescent minors.

When investigators contacted Tingstrom again at the detention center, he allegedly again denied being in possession of child pornography. When investigators told him what was found on his phone, he asked for a lawyer and the questioning ended.

The investigator noted in court documents that Tingstrom was also the subject of a child pornography investigation in 2022, which was initially closed pending further information.

In court Wednesday, Tingstrom’s bail was set at $500,000 and his next court date is scheduled for November 8, 2024.