Teen bound over on rape charge
COEUR d’ALENE — The case of a former Lake City High School student accused of raping his ex-girlfriend has been referred to First District Court for further action.
The student, 16, is charged with rape, attempted strangulation and aggravated assault, all felonies. He is also charged with battery, a misdemeanor.
The suspect’s name has not been released because he is a minor.
After a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Daniel McGee ruled that enough evidence exists to bind the case over to district court.
Another Lake City High School student contacted Coeur d’Alene police in late April to report what she described as more than a year of daily abuse at the hands of her former boyfriend.
The 16-year-old girl testified Tuesday that the suspect raped her approximately 10 times between February 2020 and January 2021. She said the pair never had a consensual sexual encounter.
“When I tried to resist, he would rip my hair out and hit me,” she said.
Her former boyfriend frequently beat her, she said, and once did so in the Lake City High School parking lot.
On one occasion, he allegedly choked her to unconsciousness while raping her.
In court, she described an incident where the suspect allegedly chased her into a wooded area behind his home with a baseball bat.
“I was afraid that he would kill me,” she said.
The suspect allegedly tracked the girl’s location at all times using her cellphone, told her what she was allowed to wear, isolated her from friends and exhibited other controlling behavior.
Police said video and audio recordings depicting the abuse had circulated in the student population.
In one video presented in court, a person identified by prosecutors as the suspect could be heard yelling.
The teen girl said she hid her phone under her leg in order to record the video, which primarily showed the interior of the suspect’s car.
After the sound of a scuffle, the girl cried out and sobbed, “Please don’t hit me.”
The suspect continued to scream.
“You bring this upon yourself,” he yelled. “You make me turn into a bad guy. This is my fault for doing this s— to you, but you drive me insane to the point that I have to do it.”
Classmates testified that they had seen hand-shaped bruises on the girl’s arms, as well as black eyes and bruising around her neck, which she reportedly passed off as sports injuries and tried to cover with makeup.
A 17-year-old classmate told the court that he confronted the suspect about the rumors of abuse circulating at school.
He said the suspect admitted to raping and beating the girl.
“He tried to convince me he was changing and trying to be better,” the classmate said. “He was trying to save our friendship.”
Investigators conducted interviews with the accuser, her family and others before bringing charges against the suspect.
Charges were filed May 11.
Juveniles between the ages of 14 and 18 who are alleged to have committed any of the offenses listed in Idaho State Code 20-509, including rape, are automatically charged as adults.
A judge issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest May 12. He was taken into custody and posted a $50,000 cash bond the same day.
Judge Timothy Van Valin issued a no contact order May 13 that forbade the suspect from contacting any minor who is not related to him.
The suspect has reportedly not been present on the Lake City High School campus since the order was put in place.
Judge McGee modified the order Tuesday, forbidding the suspect from being alone with any unrelated teen girl.
This will enable the suspect to attend a different high school when classes resume, his attorney said.
The suspect has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, call Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center’s 24-hour hotline: 208-664-9303.