Judge rejects sex offender’s leniency request

SANDPOINT – A North Idaho judge has rejected a request for leniency by a Priest River man who sexually abused a girl for about five years starting when she was 3 years old. Dayle Scott Westra had sought a reduction of his sentence of 20 years with at least 2  1/2 years before he was eligible for parole. Westra argued at a hearing last month that the sentence by Judge Charles W. Hosack was too severe for a first-time offender. The Bonner County Daily Bee reported that Westra had previously pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor. But Judge Steve Verby, presiding over the reconsideration hearing, ruled the initial sentence was not unreasonable. Verby noted that Westra began having intercourse with the girl when she was 8 and at one point threatened to kill her.