Teen charged with lewd conduct

SANDPOINT — A Priest River teen was arrested Monday on allegations that he molested a 7-year-old boy.

Cory Stephan Lee Counts, is charged in juvenile court with lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor. Counts is also facing four counts of misdemeanor theft for allegedly stealing classmates’ wallets at Priest River Lamanna High School.

The molestation allegations surfaced while Counts was being investigated for the thefts, according to a Priest River Police report.

Counts, 15, molested the boy on Dec. 21 and stole the wallets on Dec. 16, charging papers allege.

The wallets were reportedly stolen from the high school locker room, while their owners were in gym class.

The thefts occurred on Counts’ first day of classes at Priest River Lamanna High School.

The police report said Counts had recently moved to Bonner County to live with a family member after being expelled from an Okanogan County, Wash., school for unspecified reasons.

Counts denied touching the boy when he was confronted by an adult and later by police.

Judge William Hamlett ordered Counts held at juvenile detention on Tuesday and ordered a public defender to represent him, court records indicate.