Jury finds Shelley man guilty of sexually assaulting 10-year-old
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BLACKFOOT — A jury has convicted a Shelley man of lewd conduct with a child.
Steven Hardee, 35, was found guilty on two counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16 Thursday following a two-day trial.
According to a news release from a Bingham County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Oliver Wimbish, Hardee was charged in April 2024 after Bingham County Sheriff’s deputies alleged he had engaged in “ongoing lewd conduct with a minor child when (the victim) was approximately 10 years old.”
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Court documents say a deputy learned about a sexual battery case involving a child the previous month.
According to court documents, the reporting party knocked on a locked bedroom door in their home.
When it was opened by Hardee, the reporting party saw a 10 year-old girl on a bed, who had her “pants around her ankles.”
Hardee left the bedroom, and the woman called 911. When she asked the girl what happened, the victim “wouldn’t say much.” The woman asked if Hardee had done anything sexual to her, and she reportedly nodded yes.
The woman confronted Hardee, who said he hadn’t sexually assaulted the victim but said, “this has happened a few times.”
He then claimed the 10-year-old had initiated the sexual contact.
Deputies arrived soon after and questioned Hardee, who said he was watching TV with the victim and “rubbing her legs.”
When asked why the victim didn’t have pants on, he claimed, “she just took her pants off.”
On March 18, the victim was taken to the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center in Idaho Falls for a pediatric forensic medical examination. During the appointment, she reportedly stated she had been raped.
Hardee is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29. He could face up to two potential life sentences, a $50,000 fine, and mandatory registration as a sex offender.
“I would like to thank the following: Deputy Braxton Smith, Deputy Mary Munoff, Detective Shade Rosenkrance and Logan Campbell for their excellent police work in providing strong and admissible evidence,” says Bingham County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Oliver Wimbish. “Witness Coordinators Jodi Allen and Susan Nalley for their amazing work supporting the victim through this long and difficult process. Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley for being my second chair and assisting me in the trial, as well as Bingham County Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hart for his support behind the scenes in research and trial preparation.”