Trial date is set in Reiling case

SANDPOINT — A trial date is set for a Sagle man who pulled a disappearing act in 2012 to avoid being prosecuted for lewd and lascivious conduct.

Stephen Robert Reiling's four-day jury trial is set for July in 1st District Court, according to court records.

Reiling is being held on $1 million bail while awaiting trial. Reiling pleaded not guilty to the charge nearly four years ago, but fled as his trial date neared.

Reiling's supporters said he fled because he did not believe he would receive a fair trial.

Reiling's flight ended in March, when he was arrested in Hawaii on allegations that he sexually assaulted and battered an ex-girlfriend during a roadside altercation near Kailua-Kona.

Reiling was living under the alias Ken Starr when he was arrested. His true identity, however, was revealed through his fingerprints, according to Hawaii police records.

Reiling did not challenge extradition back to Idaho.

He was charged with bail jumping upon his return to Idaho.

Reiling, 57, is accused of fondling the genitals of a Bonner County 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.