PRIEST RIVER — A former North Idaho man has been implicated in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl last year, court records show.

Nelson Ray Blewett turned up in the custody of Spokane County on Aug. 3 and has been returned to Idaho to face a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor.

Blewett, 33, made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Monday via video link with the Bonner County Jail. Judge Patrick McFadden ordered Blewett held in lieu of $50,000 bail and appointed a public defender to represent him, according to court records.

The alleged victim told Priest River Police that Blewett took her to a secluded area on July 6, 2019, to smoke marijuana and methamphetamine, a probable cause affidavit said. Blewett repeatedly tried to remove articles of her clothing and told her she was his wife and she needed to meet her stepkids, the affidavit said.

The teen tried to leave, but Blewett allegedly took her to the ground by the arm.

“At the time, I kind of knew what was happening,” the teen told police, indicating that she believed she was going to be raped.

The teen hid a lighter in the grass to mark the crime scene before Blewett allegedly rolled her onto her stomach and held her neck down with his arm, the affidavit said. The teen said Blewett pulled down her pants and violated with her hand.

The teen told police she was able to stop any further assault and Blewett left the scene, but not before allegedly threatening to kill her if she reported the incident to authorities, according to the affidavit.

The teen reported the incident to police on the same day it allegedly happened, court records show.

Blewett is being charged with being a persistent violator due to prior convictions for robbery and burglary in Clallam County, Wash., in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

If convicted of the underlying offense, Blewett faces an addition five years to life in prison under Idaho’s version of the three-strikes law.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Aug. 19. Lewd conduct is punishable by up to life in prison, according to Idaho Code.

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