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Hearing set in rape case

by KEITH KINNAIRD
News editor | October 18, 2020 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT — A preliminary hearing is pending for a Sagle man accused of forcible rape.

Devan James King is accused of raping a 16-year-old girl on Oct. 5. A criminal complaint alleges that the victim resisted, but that resistance was overcome by force or violence.

King, 42, denied raping the teen when he was questioned by Bonner County Sheriff's investigators, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Authorities learned of the rape after Bonner Dispatch received a text message about the alleged sexual assault, court records indicate. The victim underwent a rape examination at Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene immediately after the incident.

The teen told investigators that King pinned her down to a bed and forced himself on her. She texted a sexual abuse hotline and was advised to report the rape to authorities in Bonner County.

King is accused of raping the teen at a Sagle home, which became the subject of a search warrant. Investigators also received a warrant to obtain King's DNA.

A stained blanket was seized as evidence, as were swabs of stains on a mattress in the home, court records indicate. The teen's underwear was also collected as evidence in the case.

King is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail. Bonner County Magistrate Court Judge Tera Harden appointed a public defender to represent him and entered an order forbidding King from contacting the teen on Oct. 6, according to court documents.

Court records list differing preliminary hearing dates — Oct. 28 and Nov. 8.

If convicted as charged, King faces anywhere from one year to life in prison, according to Idaho Code. A bond-reduction motion is pending in the case.

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