Ingalls enters 'not guilty' plea

WALLACE — Accused rapist Gregory Ingalls appeared before Judge Scott Wayman on Thursday afternoon where he pled not guilty.

Ingalls, 55, was arrested on Dec. 10 of last year and charged with one count of rape and one count of lewd conduct with a minor child under 16. Ingalls, along with his attorney John Redal, declined to have his rights, information, or potential penalties for alleged crimes read to him by Judge Wayman and requested a jury trial.

Mr. Ingalls’ trial will be scheduled for sometime in the future, but not expected to be any time soon as Shoshone County has a current backlog of cases that have been delayed due to the Idaho Supreme Court’s order on COVID restrictions.

While the rape charge is fairly straightforward and carries a minimum sentence no less than one year in prison and potentially up to a lifetime sentence, the lewd conduct charge is defined as any lewd or lascivious act or acts upon or with the body or any part or member thereof of a minor child under the age of sixteen (16) years, including but not limited to, genital-genital contact, oral-genital contact, anal-genital contact, oral-anal contact, manual-anal contact, or manual-genital contact, whether between persons of the same or opposite sex, or who shall involve such minor child in any act of bestiality or sado-masochism as defined in Idaho Code.

That felony charge is also a one year minimum if found guilty, and up to life in prison.

The state of Idaho was represented by Nez Perce County Deputy Prosecutor Shelby Sieracki, who was handling the case due to a perceived conflict of interest with the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

According to SCPA Keisha Oxendine, conflict cases may be handled by any Idaho State prosecutor or the State Attorney General’s office upon request of the prosecutor. The AG’s office is often limited in resources and as a result, most prosecutors throughout the state find another jurisdiction to handle their conflict cases. Oxendine also mentioned how working with other counties in these types of matters is usually more cost effective.

Ingalls posted bond in the amount of $75,000 on the day of his arrest.