No more second chances; rape charge stands

A 25-year-old Coeur d’Alene man with a history of sexual encounters with teenage girls will serve at least five years in prison for rape.

Charles Kukuruza was sentenced in First District Court to between five years and 10 years in prison for one count of rape after his latest sexual relationship with a teenage girl spiralled into violence.

In addition to sentencing Kukuruza for the rape conviction, District Judge Cynthia K. C. Meyer imposed a five-year prison sentence for felony injury to a child from an earlier case.

The charges stem from separate incidents, but both sentences will be served concurrently in accordance to a plea arrangement Kukuruza accepted last month, combining the charges.

According to court records, Kukuruza was 22 when he worked at a downtown Coeur d’Alene coffee shop in 2014 and met a 16-year-old girl with whom he started a relationship.

The sex was consensual until, according to a police report, Kukuruza began striking the victim and forcing her to have sex with him.

“Their sexual encounters became increasingly violent where Charlie would choke and slap her during sex,” according to a police report by Officer Jacob Pleger. “The physical abuse also took place outside just sex.”

When he met the 16-year-old, Kukuruza was on probation after serving approximately three months in a prison rehabilitation or “rider” program for the injury to child conviction. The charge had been amended from a rape charge and involved a 17-year-old victim.

According to police, Kukuruza, a heroin user, had tried to force the 16-year-old to shoot up, and enticed her to skip school, drink and do drugs with him.

Meyer, who sent Kukuruza on two separate riders over a two-year period, told the defendant despite her rulings, she had second thoughts about allowing Kukuruza to be placed on probation even if he successfully completed the riders.

After the probation violation last year, deputy prosecutor Art Verharen told the judge Kukuruza already had a chance at rehabilitation, and blew it.

“He did a rider and threw that away,” Verharen said.

Meyer, however, admonished Kukuruza, then gave the defendant a second chance.

“It’s time you grew up and be the man you were intended to be,” Meyer told the defendant.

In his latest hearing before Meyer, Kukuruza said he knew he had lost Meyer’s confidence and was ready to go to prison. This time, Meyer agreed.

“We have laws like this for a reason,” Meyer said. “We are going to take very seriously the protection of minors when it comes to sexual intercourse when you are not a minor.”