Couple sentenced for sex crimes involving teenager
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SALMON — A Lemhi County man and woman who held a teenage girl against her will while forcing her to engage in sexual activities have been sentenced.
District Judge Stevan H. Thompson sentenced Joshua R. Stemen, 39, to 12 years to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd conduct with a child.
Valerie M. Hatfield, 26, was placed on a rider program in April by Thompson with an underlying five to 10 year prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to felony lewd conduct with a minor.
As part of plea agreements, prosecutors dropped misdemeanor drug charges and felony first-degree kidnapping charges for both Stemen and Hatfield.
The couple held the girl for nearly five hours while forcing her to perform sex acts on them in October 2018, according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.
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The victim went to Steele Memorial Hospital in Salmon for a sexual assault exam on Oct. 30 and met with police the next day. Stemen and Hatfield were arrested and booked into the Lemhi County Jail on Oct. 31.
Stemen and Hatfield are now required to register as sex offenders.