Coeur d’Alene man gets prison after rider for voyeurism, sexual battery

COEUR d’ALENE — A man who admitted to sexually assaulting and photographing a sleeping woman will serve the rest of his prison sentence after a judge declined to place him on probation following completion of a prison treatment program.

Dexter R. L. Tondu, 20, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to video voyeurism, a felony, and sexual battery, a misdemeanor. Tondu originally faced an additional charge of forcible penetration with a foreign object, a felony with a maximum penalty of life in prison, but prosecutors later dismissed the charge in exchange for his guilty plea on the remaining charges. 

The charges stemmed from January 2024, when a woman who described Tondu as a friend reported that Tondu sexually assaulted her while she stayed overnight at his residence. 

The woman told police that she pretended to be asleep while Tondu assaulted her and photographed her with his cellphone, for fear that the assault would escalate if she resisted. 

When interviewed by police, Tondu admitted to assaulting the woman and taking nude photographs of her while he believed she was asleep, according to court records. 

First District Judge John Mitchell sentenced Tondu last May to five years in prison for video voyeurism with parole eligibility after one year, as well as one year for sexual battery, the maximum possible sentence for each crime. The sentences are to be served consecutively. 

Mitchell opted to retain jurisdiction in the case. That meant Tondu would spend up to a year in a prison treatment program, called a rider, before Mitchell either placed him on probation or sent him back to prison. 

At the time of sentencing, Mitchell said he wouldn’t place Tondu on probation in the future unless Tondu complied with sex offender treatment while incarcerated, was reassessed at a lower risk level for reoffending and did not test as “deceptive” when undergoing polygraphs. 

“You need to be honest with what you did to your victim,” Mitchell said. 

Because Mitchell has since retired, Tondu went before First District Judge John Cafferty this week for his rider review hearing. 

Tondu did not undergo a polygraph while in custody, according to court records. 

“He did not meet the clear order of Judge Mitchell,” Cafferty said, adding that Tondu “did not fully come forward” in a letter to the court about his time in the treatment program. 

Cafferty declined to place Tondu on probation and instead imposed the rest of the original sentence, with parole eligibility after four years. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse, call Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center’s 24-hour helpline: 208-664-9303.