A Bismarck man could face up to 170 years in prison after pleading guilty to nine counts of gross sexual imposition.

Michael Aaron Fowler, 41, entered guilty pleas to one Class B felony and eight Class Afelonies to South Central District Judge Robert Wefald Monday at the Burleigh County Courthouse.

Wefald ordered a presentence investigation and a sex offender evaluation be completed before Fowler is sentenced. South Central District Judge Sonna Anderson will sentence Fowler at a later date.

Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Cynthia Feland said a Regan man reported a possible sexual assault after noticing his young son, who was 8 years old at the time, acting out sexually in July 2005.

The boy indicated to his father that Fowler had touched him inappropriately.

"That basically was how this case started out," she said.

Feland said Fowler initially denied touching the boy inappropriately when questioned by Burleigh County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Stoltz, but later told Stoltz he wanted to get what he had done off his chest.

Fowler admitted touching the boy four times in his bathroom, three times in his living room and one time in his bedroom between May 1 and June 30, Feland said. He also admitted touching an 11-year-old boy at his home sometime between January 2004 and June 2005, she said.

Fowler's competency to stand trial was established by two evaluations since his arrest. He is a high school graduate and holds a driver's license, she said.

"He just appears to be a little bit delayed in his speech patterns,"she said.

Sexual offense laws have changed since Fowler was charged, and if he were charged today, the charges would have been Class AA felonies, Feland said.

Class AAfelonies have a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Feland said Fowler has been in the Burleigh County Detention Center since August 2005, and there have been allegations that he may have been sexually abused as a child.

Both may be considered by the court when determining an appropriate sentence, she said.

"There are a lot of things for the court to consider," she said.

Feland recommends that parents talk to their children when they display inappropriate behavior, rather than just punish or scold them.

"You may want to find out where they learned it," she said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)