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Great Falls man sentenced to life in prison for rape

Posted at 4:52 AM, Feb 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-21 06:57:54-05

GREAT FALLS – A Cascade County judge described the sentence for Richard Tome on Wednesday as the harshest he’s ever given.

Tome, 61, was sentenced to life in the Montana State Prison for raping a 13-year-old developmentally disabled girl.

He was found guilty of the crime in December.

The state asked for Tome to be sentenced to life in prison and the defense had no recommendation.

Before Judge Greg Pinski imposed the sentence, he said he could not find the words to describe the crime.

“There are absolutely no words to describe the horrific nature of this crime,” Pinski said. “I could call it horrific. I could call it violent. I could call it appalling or disgusting, but those words failed to capture the utter depravity of the crime that Mr. Tome committed.”

Pinski said it was the harshest sentence he has imposed during his six years on the bench.