Victim testifies in Havre rape trial

The woman who says she was raped by her son's juvenile probation officer quietly, shaking at times, told jurors her story during the opening day of testimony Wednesday.

She said she had gone out with an old friend on the night of Jan. 11, 2014, and ended up at the Shanty Bar, where she saw Stephen Mills, whom she knew because he was her son's youth probation officer.

She said she was stranded at the Shanty after she and her friend had a dispute over his use of marijuana. Mills offered her a ride home. Jurors listened in rapt attention as she testified that despite the fact Mills appeared intoxicated, she accepted the offer.

Mills is on trial in District Court, just across the hall in the Hill County Courthouse from where he worked as a juvenile probation officer for many years.

Instead of taking her home, Mills went to his home, saying he wanted to pick something up before taking her home and continuing with his night of drinking. At his request, she went with him, she said.

Then he led her into his bedroom, and "I knew I was in big trouble," she said.

He threw her down on the bed, yanked hard on her hair and violently forced her to perform various acts of sex against her will, she testified.

In his opening statement, Mills' attorney Jeremy Yellin strongly countered her version of the story, saying that the woman fabricated the story to get even with Mills for proposing that her son be placed into a group home for troubled children.

"The evidence will show that Steve Mills is not guilty," he said.

Yellin said the woman told different versions of the story as time went along, he said.

Yellin said when police took bedding from Mills' home, they found no hair or blood from the woman on his sheets.

"You will see there was no sign of struggle," he told the jurors.

"You will see that this is an untrue story and you will find Mr. Mills not guilty," he said.

In his opening statements, Assistant Montana Attorney General Ole Olson said the prosecution will show that that "this man treated (the victim) as an object," he said.

Olson said the woman had known Mills as her son's probation officer since 2005, and "she trusted him."

Much of the woman's testimony centered on what happened after the alleged rape occurred.

The woman testified that Mills passed out or went to sleep, and she managed to get into the bathroom near his bedroom, where she made a phone call to her estranged husband. She said she had maintained good relations with him though they are now divorced. He did not answer the phone, she said. So she called her friend, Carl Larson, whom she had known since elementary school.

Her husband then called back. She then left the house, and stood outside, and Larson soon picked her up and brought her to her home.

Larson later testified that the woman was very upset and didn't want people to touch her.

Larson said he called Havre Police after telling her he was going to. The woman said she didn't recall Larson informing her that he intended to report the incident.

Police took her to Northern Montana Hospital where hospital staff comforted her and performed various tests to preserve any evidence they could.

En route to the hospital, Havre Police Officer Kevin Corner turned on taping equipment and asked her questions.

Jurors were scheduled to see the video first thing this morning.

During her testimony, the woman said she had concerns about her son being placed in a group home, but was not angry at Mills about his recommendation. Eventually she and her husband agreed to the move, she said, because "it was in his best interests."

After leaving the woman at the hospital, Corner and other officers went to Mills residence to question him and secure evidence.

Then-Havre Officer Matthew Saylor pounded on his door and ordered him to answer, but to no avail.

Saylor said he peered through the basement window and could see that Mills got up to use the bathroom and then went back to bed.

He said he tapped on the window to get his attention. He wasn't sure that Mills saw him.

Because Mills didn't answer, officers went back to city hall to get a search warrant.

They returned to Mills' home. At first he didn't respond to their knocking, Saylor said. But eventually he came to the door. Officers secured the evidence they needed and questioned Mills.

Corner will retake the stand this morning, and other officers are expected to give testimony.

The attorney general's office became involved after Hill County Attorney Gina Dahl recused herself because of a conflict of interest.

Judge Katherine Bidegaray of Sidney is hearing the case.