Trial set in sex battery case

SANDPOINT — An 18-year-old accused of repeatedly fondling another teen as she slept is pleading not guilty to sexual battery, court records show.

Shane Ryan Beard’s plea sets the stage for a jury trial on the misdemeanor charges in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Aug. 8.

Beard declined to be interviewed by a Bonner County sheriff’s detective, but denied any wrongdoing in text messages, according to court documents.

Beard is accused of entering a bedroom where the teen and two other teen males were sleeping three separate times to fondle the girl’s genitals over her pants and underwear. The conduct awakened two of the teens, who told investigators that Beard used the flashlight application on his smartphone to illuminate their faces and determine if they were asleep, a probable cause affidavit said.

Beard was confronted and ejected from the Sagle home on April 17.