Plea pact on table in sex abuse case

SANDPOINT — A binding plea agreement is being proposed to resolve a sex abuse case against a Sagle woman.

Under the terms of the pact, Amanda Marie Nordland is pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. In exchange for the plea, Nordland would be spared prison and local incarceration. She would be required to register as a sex offender and serve four years of probation, according to 1st District Court records.

The state and the prosecution are asking 1st District Judge Barbara to be party to the agreement, which would essentially guarantee the sentencing terms.

Buchanan has advised Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall and Nordland’s defense counsel, Sandpoint attorney Bryce Powell, that she is unwilling to bind the court to the agreement without first reviewing a presentence investigation in the case, court records show. The investigation examines a defendant’s social history and the circumstances surrounding the offense they pleaded to or were found guilt of.

If the court declines to bind itself to the agreement, Nordland would be free to withdraw her plea of guilt and proceed to trial as charged.

Nordland, 30, is accused of touching a 10-year-old girl’s pubic region over the child’s clothes last spring. The alleged victim said in the incident occurred during a spring break sleepover, a probable cause affidavit said.

Nordland initially denied touching the girl, although she admitted the misconduct following a polygraph examination in Coeur d’Alene. Nordland also provided a written statement admitting her culpability, court records show.

Nordland has no prior criminal record in the state of Idaho, according to the state supreme court’s data repository.