SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) _ A northern Idaho judge has rejected a
request for leniency by a Priest River man who sexually abused a
girl for about five years starting when she was 3 years old.

Dayle Scott Westra had sought a reduction of his sentence of 20
years with at least two and a half years before he was eligible for
parole.

Westra argued at a hearing last month that the sentence by Judge
Charles W. Hosack was too severe for a first-time offender. The
Bonner County Daily Bee reports that Westra had previously pleaded
guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor.

But Judge Steve Verby, presiding over the reconsideration
hearing, ruled the initial sentence was not unreasonable.

Verby noted that the Westra began having intercourse with the
girl when she was 8 and at one point threatened to kill her.
___

Information from: Bonner Daily Bee,
http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com


(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-09-05-10 1615MDT<