SANDPOINT — Two men who pleaded guilty to injury of an underage girl have been sentenced to serve a combined 17 years in prison, with one being granted a retained jurisdiction.   

Two 21-year-old men were sentenced a week apart from each other for individual crimes stemming from the same incident in early 2025. Brandon Sovan Veach and Rowan Ramsey were both penalized on charges of committing felony injury to a child.  

Ramsey received retained jurisdiction with an underlying prison sentence of seven years — three determinate years and four indeterminate. He will receive credit for 238 days of time served. As part of a pretrial settlement agreement, felony charges of aiding in lewd conduct with a minor and felonious administering of drugs were dismissed. 

Retained jurisdiction, commonly known as a rider, is available as a sentencing option to judges in Idaho. Individuals sentenced to a rider remain in an Idaho Department of Corrections facility but remain under the judge's jurisdiction while they receive necessary treatment and participate in required programs. A successful completion of a rider can result in supervised probation. If someone does not complete a rider, they may be sentenced to prison.  

Veach received a 10-year sentence — two years determinate and eight years indeterminate — and was granted 285 days credit for time served. 

Both Veach and Ramsey pleaded guilty through an Alford plea — where they maintain their innocence but concede that if they were to continue with trial, a jury could find them guilty.  

Law enforcement became aware of the crime by way of a 911 call after several eyewitnesses alleged seeing Veach assault the victim while she was unconscious. Documents indicate that the victim had consumed a large amount of liquor — which was allegedly provided by Ramsey — before the incident.  

Reports suggest that Ramsey was not seen during the time of the assault, but was with Veach and the girl beforehand, pressuring her to drink alcohol that the pair had provided. At the time of the crime, Veach was the only one above the legal drinking age of 21.  

A probable cause affidavit reports that Veach and Ramsey fled the crime scene after learning that law enforcement was notified of the incident.  

Both men ultimately entered a guilty plea on the injury to child charges — Ramsey for supplying substances that would place the victim in great bodily harm and Veach for assaulting the victim while unconscious. 

Anyone who suspects sexual abuse should contact the Bonner County sexual abuse 24/7 helpline at 208-265-3586. For an alternate helpline, call 208-263-6714.

    Rowan Ramsey