Montepelier man accused of having sex with 13-year-old sent on rider
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PARIS, Idaho — A Montepelier man initially charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor has been sentenced after pleading guilty to two felony counts of aggravated battery.
Charges were amended after 20-year-old Thomas Bratton Gathercole reached a plea deal with the Bear Lake County prosecutor, court records show.
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At a hearing Monday, he was sent on a rider with an underlying prison sentence of five to 10 years.
A rider program is where a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year to undergo different treatment programs. When the inmate has completed the program, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison for their sentence or release them on probation.
Gatnercole was charged in October following an investigation into reports of sexual assault on a 13-year-old.
The victim told a child therapist during a forensic interview that Gathercole had sex with her in a van parked near a friend’s house. During a later interview, Gathercole, 19 at the time, admitted to having sex with the girl and making sexual contact with her at a later date.
District Judge Cody L. Brower ordered two separate prison sentences of five to 10 years, which will be served concurrently if Gathercole does not successfully complete the rider program.
Additionally, the judge ordered Gathercole to pay $3,791 in fees and fines.