‘Held accountable’: Boise man gets life in prison for abusing a child

A judge has sentenced a 58-year-old Boise man to life in prison for sexually abusing a child and committing other crimes.

Ada County District Judge James Cawthon sentenced Joseph Ribich on July 6 to three concurrent life sentences, after he was convicted of three counts of lewd conduct with a minor in April, according to a news release. He was also convicted of two counts of child sexual abuse, distributing drugs to a minor, delivering drugs and an enhancement for being a persistent violator — all felonies.

He was acquitted of two other charges.

Ribich was arrested in April of last year, and an investigation found that he had abused a minor from August 2018 until January 2019, the release said. Boise police investigated the case.

In 1993, he was convicted of two counts of lewd conduct with a minor and sentenced to five years fixed and 15 years indeterminate, according to court records. He was released on parole in 1998, according to a spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Correction, Jeff Ray. He is a registered sex offender, with an address listed in Mountain Home, according to Idaho State Police records.

He has also been previously convicted of aggravated battery, grand theft and other crimes.

“This sentence Judge Cawthon handed down emphasizes the seriousness of these offenses and sends a message that those who prey on children will be held accountable for their actions,” said Jan Bennetts, the Ada County prosecutor, in the release.