SANDPOINT — Sentencing looms for a convicted child molester accused of sexually abusing a Bonner County boy for years.

Ronald Edward Aldrich faces up to 16 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Friday, according to 1st District Court records. The Spokane, Wash., man is free on a $100,000 surety bond while the case is pending.

Aldrich, 49, was charged in 2016 with lewd conduct for allegedly fondling a the boy’s genitals from 2011 to 2016. Aldrich was investigated by Priest River Police in 2013, although the case was not prosecuted because witnesses were reluctant to come forward, court records show. However, that changed in 2016, when the alleged victim agreed to testify against Aldrich to prevent him from sexually abusing others.

The testimony of the boy, who was 5 when the abuse began, caused Aldrich to be bound over to stand trial on 1st District Court. However, he entered into a plea agreement as his case neared trial.

Under the terms of the agreement, Aldrich entered an Alford plea to an amended charge of sexual battery of a minor. Under the plea, Aldrich takes no moral responsibility for the misconduct, but concedes he could be convicted if the case went before a jury.

In exchange for the plea, the state agreed not to pursue additional charges arising from the misconduct. The state is a recommending a fixed four-year term followed by an additional 12 years of indeterminate prison time.

Aldrich’s plea will be regarded not differently than a standard plea of guilt when he’s sentenced.

Aldrich was convicted of first-degree child molestation in Washington state in 2000. The state’s sex offender registry lists four victims who were between the ages of 6 and 10.

The registry said Aldrich was released from custody in 2005. He is categorized as a Level III sex offender, a classification for those who pose a high risk of re-offending or have predatory characteristics.

Aldrich pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm in Bonner County in 2014, according to 1st District Court records.

At the time of the traffic stop in which a shotgun and rifle were discovered, Aldrich was in the company of a juvenile of an unspecified age.

Aldrich was charged with having prohibited access to school children in Bonner County in 2012, although the misdemeanor charge was reduced to disturbing the peace, according to the Idaho Supreme Court Database.

Aldrich was prosecuted in Shoshone County in 1999 on three counts of lewd conduct, but the state moved to dismiss the charges prior to trial, the database indicates.

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