Missoula man pleads not guilty to soliciting sex from student while observing classes

A University of Montana education graduate student has pleaded not guilty to attempting to groom and sexually abuse children, including one child attending a class he was observing for his degree program.

Joshua Malcolm Martelon, 26, was arraigned Monday morning in Missoula County District Court before Judge Jason Marks on four counts of sexual abuse of children: one by communication, one by grooming, one by attempted travel with intent and one by attempted possession of material. 

According to Missoula Deputy County Attorney Mac Bloom at the hearing, another potential victim has been identified and additional charges will be filed. 

According to charging documents, Martelon allegedly engaged with undercover officers on dating apps who were masquerading as children or people with connections to children. Martelon sent the accounts sexually explicit messages and naked images, planning to meet up for sex and soliciting sexually explicit messages in turn, documents allege. These interactions took place in late 2024 through 2025. 

The grooming charge, however, isn't associated with an undercover officer.  

On May 14, 2026, a Sentinel High School teacher reported to a school resource officer that a student had told her he was contacted by someone he thought was a substitute teacher via Snapchat who'd asked him if he wanted to spend time together away from school. 

The student told the SRO that the man, who had been in his English class in February, tried to solicit private time with him outside of school via Snapchat. He said the man had then offered to perform sexual acts, at which point the student unadded him on Snapchat. That man was identified as Martelon, who was not a substitute teacher, but was completing his 300 level class observation in February 2026, documents state.

Martelon was never directly employed by Sentinel High School, but observed classes there as part of a UM degree program. 

Martelon's defense attorney, Abigail Coburn, said at the hearing that Martelon intends to withdraw from his graduate program and has left UM housing. 

Martelon's bond is currently set at $100,000. Coburn petitioned at the hearing for bond to be reduced or revoked, saying Martelon has family who'd be willing to supervise him at a Colorado property that doesn't have any children nearby.

At a bail hearing Tuesday morning before Marks, prosecutor Andrea Haney objected to this plan.

"That location can't be monitored by pretrial services," she said. "This is a prolific offender." 

Coburn said that releasing Martelon to his parents would alleviate concerns prosecutors had with an earlier release plan that would have returned him to his University housing.

Marks decided that Martelon would be released to pretrial services, with the condition that he remain on his parents' property and wear a GPS ankle monitor. Marks also ordered that Martelon have no unsupervised access to any device that can use the internet.