Accused fugitive returns to Idaho
SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man who was arrested in Hawaii after evading authorities for more than three years has been returned to Idaho to face a lewd conduct charge.
Stephen Robert Reiling made an initial appearance Wednesday in Bonner County Magistrate Court on a felony charge of bail jumping. Judge Debra Heise set Reiling's bail on the new charge at $250,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him, court records show.
Reiling, 57, disappeared on the eve of his trial in 1st District Court in 2012. Reiling pleaded not guilty to the offense and supporters said he fled the area because he did not believe he would receive a fair trial.
Reiling's flight from prosecution ended in March, when he was arrested in Hilo and charges that he battered and sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend along the Queen Kaahumanu Highway near Kailua-Kona on Feb. 16. The woman, 46, told Hawaii Police that Reiling slammed her to the ground forcefully groped her breasts and genitalia, according to Hawaiian court records.
The woman told police she fended off the attack by kicking and scratching Reiling while yelling for help. Reiling rode off on a bicycle and the woman reported the incident to police, who caught up to Reiling on March 5 at a Starbucks coffee shop. Reiling had apparently been living under the alias Ken Starr, a 47-year-old student enrolled at Ohio State University with no permanent address.
A check of Reiling's fingerprints, however, revealed his true identity.
Reiling was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and abuse of a household member, but did not challenge extradition proceedings effecting his return to Idaho.
Reiling, 57, is charged in Idaho with fondling the genitals of a girl in 2003, when she was between the ages of 8-9 years old. The allegations, however, did not surface until 2011, court records show.
While awaiting trial in Idaho, Reiling secured his liberty with a $50,000 bond, which was subsequently forfeited. Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall moved successfully to have Reiling's bond increased to $1 million.
A preliminary hearing is pending in the bail-jumping case. The resumption of proceedings against Reiling on the lewd conduct charge is also pending.