Judge cleared in sex assault case

The Idaho Judicial Council has cleared 5 ^th District Judge Randy Stoker of any misconduct in his handling of the case of a Dietrich High School football player in a 2015 locker room assault on a black, mentally disabled teammate. John R.K. Howard, 19, was sentenced to probation and community service on a charge of felony injury to a child – reduced from the original charge of felony sexual penetration with a foreign object – and also was granted a withheld judgment, which means that if he successfully completes probation, the conviction could be wiped off his record. The case attracted national attention for its racial and sexual implications; Howard was accused of kicking a plastic hanger into the disabled teammate’s rectum, causing serious injuries/ Betsy Russell , Eye on Boise. More here .