Sentencing set in case

SANDPOINT — A sentencing hearing is pending for a Bonner County man accused of witness tampering.

Dean Charles Smith faces up to five years in prison, although the state has agreed to join the Idaho Department of Correction’s sentencing recommendation so long as it does not exceed retained jurisdiction. When jurisdiction is retained, also known as a rider, a defendant serves up to a year in prison before becoming eligible for probation.

Smith, 50, is accused of using the Bonner County Jail’s phone system in April to contact an Oldtown man he was accused of threatening on an earlier occasion over Smith’s alleged destruction of a camp trailer belonging to the victim.

Smith has been the subject of arrest warrants for failure to comply with court orders after entering an Alford plea to a felony charge of influencing a witness, court records show. Under the terms of an Alford plea, a defendant admits no wrongdoing but concedes a conviction could be obtained if the case went to trial.

In exchange for the plea, the state has agreed to dismiss a prior felony assault case, in addition to the underlying battery case linked to the witness intimation matter and a persistant violator enhancement that could have resulted in substantial prison time.

Smith’s sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 22.

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