Bail increased in endangerment case
SANDPOINT — Bail was increased Monday for a North Idaho woman awaiting trial on allegations that she failed to protect her child from an accused rapist.
Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall moved to increase Heidi Julia Johnson’s bail due to her alleged involvement in a Boundary County theft case.
Marshall moved for Johnson’s bail to be increased from $10,000 to $75,000 because the terms of her pretrial release forbid her from picking up new criminal charges.
First District Judge Steve Verby said he was concerned by the new charge, but had not been presented anything that indicated she admitted wrongdoing in theft case, court documents indicate. As a result, Verby only increased Johnson’s bail by another $10,000.
Unbeknownst to the state and the defense, however, Johnson pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor theft several days before the bail hearing in Bonner County, according to the Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository.
Johnson, a 29-year-old who now resides in Bonners Ferry, posted the additional bond and was released, court documents indicate.
Johnson is charged with felony injury to a child for allowing the child to be placed in a situation that would endanger her, according to the criminal complaint. The alleged rapes occurred in Bonner County from 2008 to 2010, when she was between the ages of eight and 11.
She pleaded not guilty in 1st District Court, setting the stage for a five-day jury trial in January of next year. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.
Johnson was accused of playing a role in the theft of bar receipts from the Last Chance Saloon in Bonners Ferry on Aug. 17. Angela Marie Hecker was also charged in connection with the $400 theft.
Johnson and Hecker were tracked to the Kootenai River Inn, where Hecker allegedly admitted to Bonners Ferry Police that she had a hand in the theft. Johnson allegedly fled the scene, but left behind a purse containing the stolen loot, the police report said.
Hecker, 25, pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to be tried in Boundary County Magistrate Court next month.
Johnson pleaded guilty to the theft on Oct. 11 and was ordered to serve five days in jail, the data repository indicates.