SANDPOINT — A Kootenai man pleading guilty to an amended injury to child charge is set to be sentenced today, Oct. 21.  

Rowan Ramsey, 21, was originally charged with felony aiding and abetting lewd conduct with a minor under 16 and felonious administering drugs. As part of a plea deal, Ramsey agreed to plead an amended charge of injury to child in exchange for having the rest of his charges dismissed.   

The amended charge follows a statement by former Chief Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Rodriguez noting the felony charge outlines a factual basis of Ramsey administering dangerous drugs to the victim, placing her in great bodily harm.   

As part of a pretrial settlement, Ramsey will be avoiding a potential life sentence that’s tied to abetting lewd conduct charge. The plea deal allows an open recommendation for sentencing for the state prosecutor, with the maximum sentence allowed being seven years at the Idaho State Penitentiary. 

In the same incident, Brandon Veach, 21, will be sentenced Oct. 28 for injury to child as part of a pretrial settlement. As part of that plea deal, charges of lewd conduct with a minor were dropped. 

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 probable cause that they committed the alleged crimes. An Alford plea is treated the same as a guilty plea.  

Law enforcement became aware of the crimes by way of a 911 call after several eyewitnesses alleged seeing Veach assault the victim while she was unconscious. Court documents indicate that the victim was unconscious due to her allegedly high intake of liquor.  

Reports indicate that Ramsey was not seen during the time of the assault, but was allegedly with the victim and Veach beforehand, pressuring the victim to drink alcohol that the pair had brought with them. At the date of the crime, Veach was the only one above the legal drinking age.  

A probable cause affidavit reports that the pair fled the crime scene after police were notified of the incident.  

Ramsey ultimately pled guilty to supplying substances to the victim before Veach partook in the alleged activity documented in his separate case.  

The pair remains at the Bonner County Jail, with Veach on a $100,000 bond and Ramsey on $200,000.  

    Brandon Sovan Veach