Man accused of sexual exploitation

SANDPOINT — A Post Falls man is being prosecuted in Bonner and Kootenai counties for sexually abusing a vulnerable adult.

Rex Daniel Clark’s preliminary hearing on the Bonner County charge is set for Wednesday in magistrate court. A preliminary hearing date for the Kootenai County charge is pending, according to the Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository.

Clark, 55, is accused of touching the 38-year-old woman’s breasts and genitals at a cabin he owns at Kelso Lake between January and September of this year. Clark further accused of having her perform oral sex on him, according to a Bonner County sheriff’s detective’s probable cause affidavit.

The allegations surfaced last June, when the alleged victim advised Clark’s wife that he was cheating on her.

Clark’s wife was the alleged victim’s caregiver and runs a Post Falls group home regulated by the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, according to court records.

The woman underwent a forensic evaluation in Coeur d’Alene, where she disclosed that Clark had sexual contact with her on a number of occasions over a two- to three-year period, court documents indicate.

Clark initially denied inappropriate conduct with the woman, but later admitted that he had touched her genitals and breasts, in addition to having her perform oral sex, the affidavit said.

Clark insisted the sexual conduct was consensual, although the woman was unable to give consent because she met the statutory requirements of being a vulnerable adult, court records show. The woman is developmentally disabled with the capabilities comparable to those of a seven-year-old child.

Sexual exploitation of a vulnerable adult is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to Idaho Code.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.