Child-rape suspect appears in court
Accused child rapist Benjamin N. Wright, 25, made his initial appearance Monday afternoon in Kootenai County District Court.
An unidentified woman in the small courtroom sobbed and gasped for air as Wright’s face appeared on a closed-circuit television in the courtroom. Wright offered no statement and his face showed no emotion after Judge Penny Friedlander told him he faced a possible life sentence for the felony rape charge.
Wright, a Coeur d’Alene resident, is accused of raping a 22-month-old girl on Sept. 11. He remains in the Kootenai County Jail on a $100,000 bond. Wright’s attorney, Brian Long, was unable to convince the judge to cut the bond in half.
In arguing for the reduced bond, Long said Wright wanted to begin a psychosexual evaluation and that he would stay with his parents in Athol. Wright’s mother, Long said, is the executive director of North Idaho CASA, a nonprofit agency that represents children in court cases.
“The concern for safety to children is very important to Ben’s family,” Long said.
Friedlander said the $100,000 bond was “very reasonable given the circumstances … It is an extremely serious matter.”
Spokane police arrested Wright last Monday at Sacred Heart Medical Center’s psychiatric ward. Wright did not travel to Spokane to flee from Kootenai County law officers, his attorney said during brief testimony televised in court. Wright’s parents would have taken him to Kootenai Medical Center, but they didn’t want him to be at the same hospital where the girl was being treated for injuries suffered during the alleged rape, Long explained.
The girl’s mother first noticed blood on her daughter’s diaper on Sept. 11, according to authorities. The mother then spoke to Wright, who said it was likely a bladder infection and suggested giving the girl cranberry juice.
The mother took the girl to Kootenai Medical Center where she underwent immediate surgery, according to Coeur d’Alene police. Hospital workers alerted police to the possible rape at 11:41 p.m. Sunday. Detectives worked through the night and obtained an arrest warrant at 3 a.m. Monday.
Wright has no previous criminal record, according to his attorney.
The child is recovering from surgery at the Kootenai Medical Center, according to courtroom testimony. If Wright is able to post bond, he is barred from seeing the child or her sister.
A preliminary hearing on the case will be scheduled in the next two weeks, Friedlander said.
Wright faces a possible life sentence in prison and a $50,000 fine, plus registration as a sex offender.