Trial looming in lewd case

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man accused of molesting two children and felony drug possession is scheduled to be tried next month.

Shardan Cody Patterson’s five-day jury trial in 1st District Court is slated to start on April 4. He is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, and possession of methamphetamine.

If convicted of the lewd conduct charges, Patterson could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

A pretrial conference in the case was held on Thursday. Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall and Chief Public Defender Isabella Robertson said the cases remained unresolved and no additional postponements were anticipated.

Patterson’s trial has already been postponed three times, according to court documents.

Patterson, 27, is accused of repeatedly molesting a Bonner County girl from 2003 to 2009, when she was between the ages of 8 and 15 years old. He’s also accused of molesting a 3-year-old boy in 2010. The felony drug charge stemmed from his arrest on the lewd conduct charges last April.

Patterson waived his right to a preliminary hearing in magistrate court last year and pleaded not guilty to the charges after being bound over to district court.

The two lewd conduct charges were filed separately, although they were later consolidated for trial.

Patterson allegedly fled Idaho upon learning he was being investigated, but returned after allegations arose that he molested a child in Grand Forks, N.D. The mother of the alleged victim in North Dakota told The Daily Bee that authorities there declined to prosecute Patterson due to a lack of physical evidence.

Patterson is being held at the Bonner County Jail with bail set at $150,000.