In brief: Man pleads not guilty to rape

A man accused of raping a woman in a church basement pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.

Michael J. Bosch, 47, appeared before Superior Court Judge Neal Rielly, who accepted the not guilty plea and set a trial date of April 19.

According to court records, Bosch met the woman Feb. 6 on East Sprague Avenue before going to Mending Fences Ministry, 1906 E. Sprague Ave., where Bosch worked and had a key.

Bosch smoked crack cocaine, according to court records, before tying a wire around the woman’s face and mouth. He placed a plastic bag over her head and tied her to a pipe before the sexual assault.

The woman escaped by smashing a window and running to a nearby motor home, where she called police.

Thomas Clouse

Pedestrian hurt badly in hit-and-run

A hit-and-run driver seriously injured a Spokane pedestrian Monday on the lower South Hill.

Police are looking for any information on the incident, which occurred at 12:22 p.m. at South Oak Street and West 10th Avenue.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, according to the Spokane Police Department. Tuesday, the person remained in critical but stable condition, police said.

The suspect vehicle is described as a light brown or blue sedan with a loud muffler.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233, or call Cpl. Dave Adams at (509) 835-4567.

Meghann M. Cuniff

Admitted molester sentenced to prison

A Coeur d’Alene man will spend at least three years in prison for lewd conduct with a minor under 16, a judge ruled this week.

John A. Shepherd, 56, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday with eligibility for parole after three years, the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.

Shepherd pleaded guilty Dec. 11, but Kootenai County District Court Judge John Luster ruled he “had only nominally accepted responsibility for his actions,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Shepherd said the molestation was a one-time event driven by his methamphetamine use and excessive drinking, despite having said in a previous police interview that he’d been abusing the victim for several years, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Meghann M. Cuniff

Harwood bags roadkill salvage bill

BOISE – St. Maries Rep. Dick Harwood on Tuesday withdrew his bill to allow licensed Idaho hunters or trappers to retrieve road-killed carcasses, after the state Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to oppose it.

“My intention with this bill was just to make it real simple, if you see a dead furbearer out on the road you could just pick it up,” Harwood told the House Resources Committee. “I’ve had some e-mails that said I’m a terrible guy because I’m trying to pick up little furry animals and use them, and I got a lot from the conservation officers as well.”

Fish and Game officials said the move would create enforcement problems; it would’ve allowed Idaho hunters to “salvage” fur-bearing animals like bears and bobcats in or out of season. That’s strictly illegal now; roadkill is considered the property of the state.

Betsy Z. Russell