Hearing set in rape case

SANDPOINT — A hearing is set to determine if a Sandpoint man should be bound over to stand trial on a rape charge.

Paul Anthony Staffiero’s preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 13, 2010, in the magistrate division of 1st District Court.

A preliminary hearing was slated for this month, but was put off because the state and the defense were attempting to negotiate a plea agreement, court records show.

Staffiero, 31, was accused of forcing sex on the woman in the early hours of Nov. 15. The two had a relationship prior to the alleged sexual assault.

Staffiero is free on bail while the case is pending and he’s been ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim in the case.

Judge William Hamlett agreed last month to reduce Staffiero’s bail from $100,000 to $50,000.

Due to a reporter’s error, a previous story on the case incorrectly stated Judge Debra Heise reduced Staffiero’s bail.