Hearing set in L&L case

PONDERAY — A preliminary hearing is pending for a Sandpoint man charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct, court records show.

Andrew Jesse Owens remains held at the Bonner County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, according to court documents.

Owens, 27, is accused fondling the genitals of 5- and 7-year-old minors on Nov. 22. The allegations were referring to the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, which initiated a Ponderay Police investigation, court records show.

Owens made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Nov. 30. Judge Tera Harden set Owens’ bail and entered an order forbidding him from being in any form of contact with the alleged victims. Owens advised the court he intends to obtain private counsel to defend him, court documents indicate.

Harden declined to find probable cause for a lewd conduct charge involving the 5-year-old, court records indicate. The charge will remain in place, although additional evidence will have to be presented for it to advance.

A hearing to determine if the state possess enough evidence to justify a trial in 1st District Court was held this past week.