Lewd conduct suspects plead not guilty

SANDPOINT - A former Bonner County couple accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with an underage girl and documenting sex acts with her pleaded not guilty on Monday.

Adam Michael Pugh is charged with one count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor and seven counts of possessing sexually exploitive material. Kathryn Leanne Howard is charged with lewd conduct and five counts of possessing sexually exploitive material.

Their pleas set the stage for separate jury trials in 1st District Court in December, although there is a negotiated plea agreement pending in Pugh's case, court records indicate.

The terms of the plea agreement have not been divulged.

Pugh, 33, is free on $100,000 bail while his case is pending. Howard, 34, is free on her own recognizance, according to court documents. The former couple divorced in 2014.

Pugh was charged in May with engaging in lewd conduct with the girl from 2009-2013, when she was between the ages of 12 and 16. The investigation into Pugh's alleged misconduct uncovered allegations against Howard, who is charged with engaging in lewd conduct with the girl in 2013, when she was 15.

The investigation led to the discovery of photos of the former couple engaged in sex acts with the alleged victim. Bonner County sheriff's detectives searched Pugh's former Sandpoint residence and seized a smartphone, cellphone, tablet computers, a laptop computer and a memory card, court documents show.