Rape suspect hit with more charges

SANDPOINT — Five additional counts of lewd conduct have been filed against a former Bonner County man accused of sexually abusing teens here and in another state.

Christopher Panagiotou-Scigliano made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Monday via videoconferencing with the jail. Panagiotou-Scigliano was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail and a no-contact order was entered in the case.

Panagiotou-Scigliano, 38, is accused of engaging in lewd conduct with a minor teen on five instances in 2014 and 2015. The alleged victim told sheriff's investigators that Panagiotou-Scigliano had sexually abused him over a seven-year period, which began with grooming and escalating misconduct, a probable cause affidavit said.

The Daily Bee does not identify alleged victims of sexual abuse. Certain details such as geographic locations, precise ages and other information have been omitted to keep those details from identifying an alleged victim.

All told, Panagiotou-Scigliano faces 13 criminal charges across three different cases. He was charged earlier this month with two counts of statutory rape, two counts of lewd conduct, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of a sexual battery. The charges involve two others who were minors at the time.

Panagiotou-Scigliano is under investigation for sexually abusing teens in the state where he was at the time of his arrest, according to court documents.

Preliminary hearings in the earlier cases are set for Jan. 6, 2021. A preliminary hearing in the latest case is scheduled for Dec. 30, court records show.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com or followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee