Plea entered in molestation case

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man pleaded guilty Thursday to molesting a teenage girl at a graduation party this spring.

Austin Byron Courser entered an Alford plea to a reduced charge of sexual abuse of a minor. Under such a plea, Courser admits no wrongdoing, but concedes he could be convicted if the matter went before a jury.

Courser’s trial was scheduled to start Monday in 1st District Court.

Courser’s plea will be treated no differently than a standard plea of guilt when he is sentenced on Nov. 2. He faces up to 25 years in prison, although the state has agreed to recommend a five- to 10-year sentence with retained jurisdiction.

If the court agrees to retain jurisdiction, Courser could be released after serving six months at the North Idaho Correctional Institution in Cottonwood. He would have to register as a sex offender.

After entering the Alford plea, Courser’s bond was reduced from $20,000 to $1,000, according to court documents.

Courser, 34, was originally charged with lewd and lascivious conduct, an offense which could have landed him in prison for the rest of his life. He was accused of violating the 15-year-old victim on May 24.