Man featured on America’s Most Wanted gets 40 years
A sex offender captured after being featured on America's Most Wanted last year will spend at least 20 years in prison.
Donald L. Fritzsche, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 in a Shoshone County District Court plea agreement that dismissed two additional counts.
He was sentenced Monday to 40 years in prison with eligibility for parole after 20.
Frizsche, who previously served time in prison for child sex abuse, fled the county after being accused and was arrested last summer at his uncle's house in Bonners Ferry based on a tip provided to the popular television show.
Fritzsche's charges came after an elementary school teacher told police in 2007 about a 10-year girl she suspected had been abused by Fritzsche, according to America's Most Wanted.
America's Most Wanted has been pivotal in solving other cases in the Inland Northwest, including the case of two lesbians accused of killing one's mother in Post Falls.
The two were found dead from suicide about an hour after their story was featured on America's Most Wanted last fall.
Read a story about that case here.