Former resident facing lewd conduct charges

SANDPOINT — A man convicted of lewd and lascivious conduct in Canyon County is being charged with similar offenses in Bonner County.

Nicholas Randon Newman was serving an eight- to 17-year term at a state prison in Orofino when he was ordered to be transported to Bonner County to face new lewd conduct charges, court records show.

Newman made an initial appearance in magistrate court on Tuesday. Newman’s bail was set at $50,000 and a public defender was appointed to represent him.

Newman, 35, is accused of touching and using a cell phone to take photo of a 5-year-old girl’s genitalia in 2014, according to charging documents. The incident occurred when Newman was living in Dover.

The girl, now 7, disclosed the sexual misconduct to a counselor last year, resulting in investigations by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. The Bonner County charges emerged while Newman was in custody on the Canyon County charges, court records indicate.

The charge in the Canyon County case dates back to 2013. He pleaded guilty to one count of lewd conduct as his case neared trial, according to the Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository.

A preliminary hearing in the Bonner County case is pending.