COEUR d’ALENE —A Coeur d’Alene judge threatened to send a 28-year-old Coeur d’Alene man to prison for a long time if he failed to exceed expectations of counselors at the rehabilitation program he must complete for molesting a 13-year-old girl.

First District Judge John Mitchell on Tuesday sentenced Jeremy V. Guzman to a fixed four-year prison term with a maximum 21 years behind bars for one count of lewd conduct with a minor. Mitchell, however, retained jurisdiction, allowing Guzman to attend a rider program which measures his amenability to treatment and will determine if he is a good candidate for probation.

Guzman was convicted in October of fondling the teenager many times, sometimes for hours at a time, over a period of several months beginning in January.

He was charged with four counts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16. The charge carries broad sentencing guidelines with a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Guzman pleaded guilty to one of the counts and the remaining charges were dismissed at the request of prosecutors.

“Don’t be surprised if you come back and I impose your prison sentence,” Mitchell told Guzman at sentencing this week in Coeur d’Alene. “Probation might not be an option when you come back.”

According to police, Guzman initially started fondling the child over her clothing last winter. As weeks, and eventually months passed, the abuse elevated to genital contact despite efforts by the victim to make Guzman stop.

The victim texted Guzman with pleas to “stop molesting me,” according to court testimony, but the abuse continued until the child reported the incidents to a relative.

Mitchell said the only thing that would prevent the judge from imposing the sentence is a complete assurance from counselors that Guzman is amenable to treatment and a low risk to reoffend.

“I need something to show you will be an acceptable risk to society,” Mitchell said.

Guzman’s friends and relatives had showered the court with letters asking the judge for leniency.

“I don’t know how forthcoming you were to these people,” Mitchell said. “You touched the (victim’s) vaginal area for an incredible length of time. They better know what you have admitted to.”