BONNERS FERRY — A man charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor stemming from a 2021 incident has pled guilty to an assault charge as part of a pretrial settlement.  

Jerry Dean Olson, 79, pled guilty on Sept. 17 to one count of assault with intent to commit a serious felony. As part of the pretrial settlement agreement, two counts of lewd conduct with a minor will be dismissed. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.  

Olson entered an Alford plea on the charges, meaning he maintains his innocence, but believes the prosecution has enough evidence for a jury to find him guilty.  

Olson is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17. Recommendations at sentencing will be correlated to the result of a psychosexual evaluation.  

Court documents indicate that Olson was accused of assaulting two minors in Boundary County between July and September 2021. He was charged with entering a bathroom with the two minors while he was undressed, creating imminent fear of sexual violence. The incident was reported in early April 2025 and Olson was taken into custody in Tuscarawas, Ohio on April 7 on a $200,000 bond, for which he posted later that month.  

A psychosexual evaluation will be a significant factor in Olson’s sentencing. Traditionally, a PSE is conducted by a licensed mental health professional and provides information about an individual’s psychological and sexual functioning.  

If the result of Olson’s PSE returns as below average, the state’s recommendation is probation with a local jail recommendation, which can be a maximum of one year. Probation may last for a minimum of six years. 

If the result is average, the state’s recommendation will be retained jurisdiction, which means he would be incarcerated in the Idaho Department of Corrections for six months to one year, but would be under the judge’s jurisdiction afterwards and could later be put on probation or sentenced to prison.  

If the result of the PSE is above average, the state is free to recommend whatever it deems appropriate, including prison. The maximum time for the charge Olson pleaded guilty to is 15 years in prison.