Probable cause found in lewd conduct case

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man will proceed to First District Court on a charge of lewd conduct.

Dillon Matthew Cornelius, 19, appeared in front of Magistrate Judge Justin Julian on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.

During a preliminary hearing, both the prosecution and the defense meet in magistrate court to review charges against a defendant to determine if there’s enough evidence to proceed through the court process.

The 90-minute hearing saw testimony by four witnesses, including the alleged victim and Cornelius. Testimony from the other witnesses appeared to directly contradict each other in one instance.

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 from identifying an alleged victim.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lepire called upon the alleged victim to testify. While under oath, the individual became upset and had to take multiple pauses before being able to continue testifying.

Upon recalling the event from summer 2019, the victim testified that Cornelius and another man, Aaron Alan Keiser, 23, assaulted her at a mutual acquaintances house where Cornelius was living at the time.

Keiser is awaiting a preliminary hearing for two counts of rape in relation to this case, although they are not being tried together.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, the evening began by purchasing alcohol and cannabis before returning to the residence.

The group consumed both substances, and according to the victim’s testimony, they encouraged her to drink more. According to her testimony, she said that even though she was intoxicated, she was still able to control herself and was aware of her surroundings.

She testified that she was in the bedroom of a mutual acquaintance with Keiser and Cornelius when the individual left the room. The alleged victim testified that Cornelius and Keiser exchanged looks, but did not speak.

“They didn’t say anything. They weren’t talking to each other. They were just looking at each other,” the victim said.

According to the victim, Keiser then pushed her onto the bed while Cornelius removed her pants.

“I remember tasting blood in my mouth and after that it just went blank, I don’t remember anything after,” the victim testified Wednesday, adding that she blacked out after about 10 minutes.

“I woke up in that room and my clothes were still off,” said the victim before breaking down in tears. “It’s almost like they planned it.”

When Cornelius was called to testify, he said he did not recall if the alleged victim, Keiser and himself were at the residence together at the same time. However, he did not deny that the possibility existed.

“I don’t ever remember her staying the night,” he said.

After questions and rebuttals by the prosecution and defense, Julian found probable cause for the lewd conduct charge.

“Overall, [the victim’s] testimony I found to be credible, although It is lacking in some details. There’s some blackout time because some intoxicants were consumed. It was a stressful event so certainly some things happened we don’t know from her testimony,” Julian said.

“As far as Mr. Cornelius’s testimony, I found that it wasn’t much different from a blanket ‘not guilty’ plea. It wasn’t particularly credible.”

“Likewise, I think [the acquaintance] came down with some convenient amnesia at times regarding what he did and didn’t see and hear. What I found credible was alleged in the complaint, that Mr. Cornelius did commit the lewd lascivious act upon the body of [the victim].”

Cornelius was then scheduled to appear for arraignment on Nov. 18 in front of First District Judge Lamont Berecz.

The victim was asked if she told anyone about what had happened to her.

“I held it in for about a year. I didn’t tell anybody,” she said. “It was embarrassing that it happened, and that’s why I didn’t tell anybody.”

There are multiple resources in Bonner County that advocate for victims of sexual assault, and can assist in legal action for these types of crimes.

There is no statue of limitations for when victims of sexual assault can come forward to pursue legal action.

The victim in this case came forward to her father before choosing to pursue legal action.

A good first step in coming forward can be to confide in someone trustworthy. Local resources include the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, at 208-265-5525, or LillyBrooke Family Justice Center at 208-265-3586. Both agencies can be contacted 24/7.