A Helena man on Thursday was sentenced to 20 years, with 15 suspended, for felony sexual assault for inappropriately touching a 13-year-old former student at the Aikido studio he owned here.

As a condition of his sentence, Clinten Jay George won't be allowed to return to Helena without permission from his probation officer.

George, who was 49 at the time of the incident, was designated a "tier one" sex offender, meaning that he is considered unlikely to reoffend, after a sentencing investigation.

George was originally arrested in the case on March 8 and posted a $50,000 bond two days later.

Then in July he was arrested again when an anonymous caller reported to police that George was with the girl at Reeder's Alley.

The girl told police at the time she had contact with George on four separate occasions from the time he posted bond and when he was arrested the second time.

Robert Page, a psychologist who examined George, told the court he didn't exhibit traits that would indicate he is a pedophile or predator.

Rather, George is an emotionally immature man, Page said, who relied on his relationship with the young girl to raise his sense of self-esteem.

There is no evidence officials know of that the relationship between George and the girl went beyond "petting" and inappropriate touching through clothing, he said.

The "social connection" George got from the girl overrode his sense of right and wrong, Page said.

Arguing in favor of the plea agreement that suspends 15 of the 20 years in George's sentence, his attorney, Greg Jackson, noted that before the incident George had been prominent in national and international Aikido circles.

He taught self-defense at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and, having lived in Japan for 15 years, acted as an interpreter for the state at the Kumamoto Center in Helena.

The felony sexual assault charge had "devastated" George's life, Jackson said.

Helena District Judge Jeffrey Sherlock said he was concerned that George had been in contact with the girl, despite the consequences of violating the conditions of his bond.

Page said he thought that if the situation allowed, George might well try to contact the girl again, and it's important that George begin sex-offender treatment in a structured and supervised setting.

George will be sent to a pre-release center out of town, at which time he will begin sexual-offender treatment. He will not be required to complete the treatment before he can be considered for release from the center.

Jackson asked Sherlock several times whether it would be legal to "banish" George from Helena. The judge told George that the 20 years in prison term he could face if he violates the conditions of his sentence are a "hammer" hanging over his head.

George quietly answered questions from Sherlock, but declined to give a statement before his sentence was handed down.

No one from the victim's family spoke during the sentencing.

George was originally arrested after a female member of his martial arts school, Last Chance Aikido, confronted him about getting "too close" with the girl, according to documents filed in Justice Court at the time.

After George denied any wrongdoing, the woman told the girl's mother, who subsequently contacted the police.

The girl would stay after class and be alone with George, according to court documents.

A search warrant of George's Helena home generated 85 e-mails between George and the girl.

"The content of the e-mails and times they are being written related to the ages of the individuals involved did appear to be inappropriate," court documents said.

During an interview, George told police that the relationship with his student of two years started with hugging and "petting" and had progressed in the last three months, the documents say.

The two began inappropriately touching each other through their clothes, he told police.

City editor Richard Myers: 447-4071 or rich.myers@helenair.com