Former teacher charged with sex abuse of children after undercover operation in Missoula

A Missoula County man and former teacher was charged with two counts of sexual abuse of children after prosecutors say he contacted a local law enforcement officer posing as a 12-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.

Cody A. Davis, 42, faces charges for sexual abuse of children by "means of communication" and sexual abuse of children through "travel with intent" in Missoula County District Court. Both charges are felonies and carry up to 200 years in prison.

The case stems from communication between Davis and a member of the Montana Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, who was working undercover by controlling an online social media account, according to charging documents filed on Dec. 31, 2025.

In the documents, prosecutors said Davis requested to add the undercover officer as a "friend" on social media and began a conversation online. Davis moved the conversation to the Signal App, an encrypted messaging platform, according to the charging documents.

During the conversation on Signal, prosecutors said Davis requested sexually explicit photos from the undercover officer. Davis also requested to have sex with the fictitious child, according to the charging documents.

Davis mentioned he lived within Missoula County, according to prosecutors, who said he coordinated a time to meet with the undercover officer. The two met at a store in Missoula County, where Davis was taken into custody, according to the charging documents.

Davis also revealed during the conversation with the officer that he is a former teacher, the documents said.

"Although investigators determined Davis is not currently a teacher, he was about a year ago," prosecutors wrote. The information did not include specifics on Davis's teaching background.

Deputy County Attorney Mark Handelman told the Missoulian in a phone call on Tuesday he could not immediately comment on Davis's professional background.

Missoula District Court Judge Shane Vannatta set bail for Davis at $200,000, which Davis met on Monday, Jan. 5, according to Handelman.

Per the release, Davis cannot contact anyone under the age of 18 years of age, is retained from areas children are known to congregate and must wear a GPS monitoring system.

If convicted, Davis could face up to 200 years in the Montana State Prison and a $100,000 fine. He is set to appear in court on Jan. 8, 2026.