SANDPOINT — An Athol man accused of molesting a boy and girl over the course of a year entered into a plea agreement Tuesday to resolve the criminal case against him.

Michael John Kessler was charged with four counts of the lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor and was scheduled to stand trial on those charges in 1st District Court later this month. However, a plea agreement was offered by the state due to Kessler’s “deteriorating health,” court records show.

Kessler, 76, is described in court documents as a wheelchair-bound diabetic with blood pressure issues.

Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall offered to roll the four counts into a single count covering both child victims and to recommend a suspended five- to 15-year prison term. Kessler must also undergo a psychosexual evaluation and submit to a full-disclosure polygraph examination.

Kessler accepted the offer and entered an Alford plea on Tuesday to the lone lewd conduct count. Under the plea, Kessler takes no moral responsibility for the offense but concedes he could be convicted if his case went before a jury.

Kessler is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 16. He is free on $25,000 bond, court records indicate.

Kessler is accused of molesting the boy and girl in 2015 and 2016, when they were between the ages of 7-8, according to a criminal complaint.

The charges didn’t surface until June of last year, after a school bus driver overheard one of the children making inappropriate remarks. Although both children were allegedly told by Kessler to keep their sexual contact with a secret, one disclosed the abuse to a family friend, court documents indicate.

Kessler, according to unsealed probable cause hearing testimony, befriended the victims’ mother and helped with transportation and chores.

Kessler, who was accused of playing cat and mouse with law enforcement once the allegations emerged, was arrested on the charges on Jan. 23 and posted bond on March 16, court records show.

Outside of traffic offenses, Kessler has no prior criminal record in the state of Idaho, according to the state supreme court data repository.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.