SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man accused of lewd conduct with a minor was released on sex offender probation after entering into a plea agreement to resolve his case.

Charles Robert Towry Jr. was given a suspended five- to 10-year prison term after entering an Alford plea to a reduced charge of felony injury to a child.

Towry, 46, was charged last year with engaging in lewd conduct and sexually abusing a Bonner County girl in 2007, when she was between the ages of 4 and 5, according to a criminal complaint. Towry was in his mid-30s at the time of the alleged misconduct.

Towry was ordered to stand trial in 1st District Court after the girl, now a teenager, testified that he masturbated in front of her and allegedly touched his penis. Towry did not take the stand during the hearing, court records show.

Judge Justin Julian found the teen’s testimony credible and bound Towry over to stand trial. Towry pleaded not guilty to the felony charges, but subsequently entered into a plea agreement on the day before the start of his January trial, according to court documents.

Under the terms of the plea, Towry admits no wrongdoing but concedes he could be convicted if his case went before a jury. In exchange for the plea, the state agreed to recommend a suspended prison term and four years of supervised probation.

The alleged victim’s mother testified of the impact Towry’s actions had on her daughter, while Towry continued to deny the allegations against him, court records indicate. He told the court he accepted the plea deal because he did not believe an impartial jury could be empaneled.

District Judge Barbara Buchanan acknowledged that the alleged victims would be displeased with the resolution of the case, calling it imperfect, court records show. However, the sentence would provide for sex offender treatment.

Towry was charged in 2015 with sexual penetration by use of a foreign object, although the offense was amended to a misdemeanor domestic battery charge, according to the Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository.

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