HAYDEN — A man could spend up to 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to molesting his four-year-old niece.

The 40-year-old Coeur d’Alene man pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a child under 16, a felony.

The child’s parents reportedly contacted police in early December, after their four-year-old daughter said her uncle had touched her inappropriately at a family member’s home in Hayden during the summer.

She told police he put his hand inside her underwear while she sat on his lap with a blanket covering them.

Investigators conducted multiple interviews with the child and others before bringing charges against the man, according to court documents.

In a recorded phone call with one of the child’s parents, the man allegedly apologized for touching the four-year-old’s private area, police said.

Police arrested the man at his residence in December and charged him with lewd conduct with a minor under 16, a felony punishable by up to life in prison.

The man reportedly pleaded guilty to an amended charge as part of a pretrial settlement offer.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

The Press is not naming the suspect at this time because that would reveal the identity of the victim. The Press tries to protect the privacy of victims.