Local teens are charged with rape, lewd conduct

SANDPOINT — Two 18-year-olds have been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an inebriated 15-year-old girl earlier this month.

Perry P. Howard and Mitchell E. Wallace are charged with rape and lewd conduct with a minor. Howard is further charged with posting video of the alleged misconduct to a social media platform, resulting in an additional charge of sexual abuse of a minor.

Howard and Wallace made initial appearances in Bonner County Magistrate Court via videoconferencing with the county jail. Judge Lori Meulenberg set Wallace’s bail at $30,000 and Howard’s bail at $15,000. A public defender was appointed to represent Wallace, while Howard is seeking the services of private counsel.

The alleged victim told Sandpoint Police she attended a party on Friday and became intoxicated after consuming a third of a 750-milliliter bottle of vodka and taking dextromethorphan-based cold and cough medication known for its recreational use.

The teen said she became sick and Howard and Wallace offered to take her home, according to the police report. However, they ended up taking her to Howard’s residence and had sex with her, the report said.

The teen told police that she told the two to stop when they began kissing and touching her, but they would not, according to the police report. Criminal complaints allege that the teen may also have been unable to resist Howard and Wallace due to her level of intoxication.

Howard, however, maintained the sexual contact was consensual when he was questioned by Sandpoint Police, court records indicate.

After the incident, a video from it emerged on Snapchat, an image messaging application, the police report said.