Coeur d'Alene man sentenced for battery

A Coeur d'Alene man was sentenced to prison Tuesday following a conviction of battery with intent to commit a serious felony.

According to a press release from the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office, on Jan. 11, Gunner Ray Hankel, 19, was staying as a guest in a home in which the 16-year-old female victim was babysitting. 

While the victim was asleep on the couch, Hankel committed the battery.

At the time of this crime, Hankel was still on juvenile probation for a lewd conduct with a minor under 16 conviction he received in 2018 after sexually abusing a 7-year-old child, the release said.

At sentencing, Criminal Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura McClinton recommended a 20-year prison sentence with parole eligibility after 12 years. 

District Judge Barbara Duggan sentenced Hankel to a 20-year prison sentence with parole eligibility after 10 years.