Admitted rapist gets 180 days in jail, probation

“Basically, in my eyes, (they) slapped that victim in the face.”

Shoshone County Sheriff Mike Gunderson did not mince words Monday afternoon, following the law day sentencing of a Kingston man who had pled guilty to raping a 15-year-old girl and will see 180 days in jail, 15 years of probation, and receive sex offender status.

Gregory Ingalls, 55, was arrested on Dec. 10, 2021, after the juvenile victim came forward to law enforcement and reported the incident that occurred roughly two weeks prior.

Initially denying the two charges of rape and lewd conduct with a minor child under 16, a Rule 11 plea agreement was later reached between the prosecution and defense teams that had Ingalls change his plea to guilty on the rape charge in exchange for a reduced sentence and a dismissal of the lewd conduct charge.

According to William Young and Associates, a Rule 11 plea agreement is a ‘binding’ plea agreement that is entered into by the parties for a certain sentence if the defendant pleads guilty to a specific criminal charge. While a plea agreement under this rule binds the court to the terms of the agreement, it has the power to accept or reject the agreement.

Representing the state in the case was Nez Perce County Chief Deputy Prosecutor April Smith, who stepped in for the normal Shoshone County prosecution team due to a conflict of interest between a member of the local prosecutor’s office and the defendant.

Prior to the sentence being handed down by District Judge Barbara Duggan Monday morning, Smith argued to the court that the jail time to be served should be set at a year, along with an imposition of court costs and fines.

“The state believes that based on the nature of the offense, the effect on the community, and on the victim in this case — punishment should be a factor that the court should consider,” she said.

Ingalls’ defense attorney John Redal countered with 90 days in jail, citing his client’s cooperation with the investigation, lack of criminal history and low risk of reoffense.

“Honestly judge, I know you have read the facts of this particular case. My client has obviously admitted to what he did. He has accepted responsibility,” he said. “Obviously these cases are always frowned upon and taken very seriously by the courts and society as a whole, judge. But we do have an individual here who basically his entire life has been an outstanding citizen, hasn’t had any problems in the past with the criminal world…”

Upon hearing both sides present their arguments, Duggan accepted the Rule 11 agreement which included a suspended prison sentence of three years fixed and 12 years indeterminate, 15-years of supervised probation, and receiving sex offender status.

As for the debated length of jail time to be served and financial restitution, Duggan decided on 180 days to begin immediately, along with court costs of $245, a fine of $200, and restitution of $5,000 to be paid to the victim. She explained that the 180 days was decided on due to a recognition of Ingalls’ accountability/willingness to seek treatment, while also acknowledging that there must be punitive measures — especially for someone who took advantage of a position of power.

Ingalls was known in the community for his involvement in both archery and firearm shooting groups, many of which included children and young adults.

“When I take everything into consideration and think about community safety, I need to recognize that it is concerning that somebody who was so lacking in criminal behavior and in a position of authority…When you have somebody that is that engaged in the community in a positive way, then engages in this criminal behavior — that’s a chasm, that's difficult to figure out,” Duggan said.

Following the sentence, Sheriff Mike Gunderson expressed his displeasure with the ruling and how the prosecution of the case was handled.

“Obviously we have some concerns giving (him) 180 days in jail and 15 years of probation, I don’t think that’s doing what the system is set up to do for deterrents of crime or protection of society,” he said.

Equating the seriousness of the the crime Ingalls committed to nearly that of murder, Gunderson believes that the sentence handed down was not only light, but incredibly uncharacteristic when compared to similar cases.

“In this type of case, rape is one of the worst things you can be convicted of other than homicide…so to have this type of agreement is shocking. It’s very very seldom where you see the adult, who is 50 years old, and the victim is 15 and you have this type of sentence.”

Gunderson partially points to the handling of the case by the Nez Perce Prosecutor’s Office as a factor for the sentence, saying that the outcome could have been different if the Shoshone Prosecutor’s Office handled things.

“Unfortunately with Mr. Ingalls, that case was referred out. Shoshone County didn’t have a lot to do with it. We (SCSO) were never contacted during any part of the investigation by the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, which concerns me.”

“(This type of deal) is not typically what we have seen in our prosecution,” he added.

After sinking thousands of hours into an investigation such as this one, Gunderson stresses that law enforcement should have their voices heard when it comes to determining the course of prosecution.

“We feel like we’ve done a good job in the investigation for that family,” he said. “Our hearts go out to the family and we have reached out to them to offer any assistance that we can.”