Lewd conduct convict seeks lesser sentence

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man who ordered imprisoned for up to 10 years for engaging in lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor argues he received an unduly harsh sentence.

John Theodore Cook contends his sentence is illegal because it is strictly punitive and ignores other sentencing goals, such as rehabilitation.

Cook confessed to molesting two girls in the 2000s. One of the victims was between the ages of eight and 10 and the other was between the ages of 10-12. Cook pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year.

Although Cook was given chilly praise for confessing the abuse, 1st District Judge Barbara Buchanan said the confession came 12 years too late. She imposed a 10-year sentence, the first five years of which are fixed.

Cook, a former girls soccer coach from California, is asking the court to reconsider its sentence and retain jurisdiction. Under that sentencing scenario, Cook would serve up to a year in a medium-security facility with sex offender treatment and become eligible for probation.

Cook, 53, maintains in motion that the court disregarded a notation in a psychosexual evaluation that sex offender recidivism risk falls sharply after a person reaches the age of 40. Cook contends the goals of sentencing can be accomplished without extended imprisonment.