Guilty plea entered in lewd conduct case

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man pleaded guilty Monday to molesting a 6-year-old girl earlier this year.

Charles Louis Westfall is scheduled to be sentenced on July 23 in 1st District Court, according to court documents.

Westfall was charged with lewd and lascivious conduct after the victim disclosed the abuse to authorities. The conduct took place between January and April.

A lewd conduct conviction in Idaho can result in a lifelong prison sentence. In a written guilty plea, Westfall claims a sheriff’s investigator told him the court would retain jurisdiction in his case, which could qualify him for release after serving six months at an Idaho Department of Correction facility at Cottonwood.

However, that is not the state’s recommendation, Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said after the plea hearing. He said no sentence recommendations have been made yet.

Westfall, 26, admitted the allegations when he was questioned by a sheriff’s investigator, court records indicate. In his written plea, Westfall said he was pleading guilty in the hope of receiving treatment.

Westfall’s bail was originally set at $20,000 following his arrest in April. His bail was later reduced to $5,000 after he waived his right to a preliminary hearing in magistrate court.

Chief Public Defender Isabella Robertson moved to reduce Westfall’s bail further or release him on his own recognizance. Marshall objected to any further reduction in bail.

District Judge Steve Verby ultimately declined to lower Westfall’s bail, court documents show.