An Idaho Falls man pleaded guilty to an amended charge of felony lewd conduct with a child under 16 in the Bonneville County Courthouse on Oct. 6.

Jose Everado Vidal Leonor, 53, was originally charged with raping a 7-year-old girl on June 18.

Leonor entered an Alford plea for the reduced charge. In Idaho, such a plea allows the defendant to plead guilty while still asserting their innocence, acknowledging that the evidence against them is strong enough to likely result in a conviction at trial.

This plea is treated as a guilty plea by the court, resulting in a criminal conviction, but it avoids the full process of a trial.

As under the original charge, Leonor still faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $50,000 fine, a $5,000 compensatory fine and restitution.

Leonor committ

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