BONNERS FERRY — Several cases advanced in Boundary County courts this week. 

Jaccob William Johnson, 31, was sentenced to a fixed term of three years with the Idaho Department of Correction, followed by an indeterminate period of up to four years.  

He was also ordered to pay approximately $3,300 in fines and court costs and to undergo a psychosexual evaluation. 

Johnson received credit for three days already served.  

He will be required to register as a sex offender and provide DNA and fingerprint samples. 

The charge stems from alleged online messages with a confidential informant Johnson believed to be a 14-year-old child. 

Despite several letters submitted to the court on his behalf, Judge Susie Jensen said she could not justify the risk to the community posed by a probation sentence. 

In a separate case, a Boundary County man charged with three counts of rape and four counts of aggravated assault has had his trial date rescheduled. 

Michael A. Lange, 53, was originally set to go to trial Feb. 9, but it was postponed to March 9 because the trial will change from a jury trial to a bench trial, which is scheduled for three days. Judge Jensen will preside. 

A bench trial is where the acting judge evaluates evidence to make the final decision of a trial, as opposed to a 12-citizen jury. This trial process is generally quicker than a jury trial, as there is no jury selection or instruction.

According to court documents, Lange allegedly threatened two women with a firearm on four separate occasions between November 2021 and May 2025. The documents also allege that Lange raped both women during that time. 

All charges fall under Section 5 of Idaho’s rape statute, which defines rape as occurring when a victim is prevented from resisting by the infliction, attempted infliction or threatened infliction of bodily harm, accompanied by apparent power of execution, or is unable to resist due to the influence of an intoxicating, narcotic or anesthetic substance.

Initial charges were filed Sept. 18, 2025.

If convicted, Lange faces up to five years in prison on each aggravated assault charge and up to life in prison on each rape charge. He is currently in custody on a $200,000 bond. 

In a separate case, sentencing for Jerry Dean Olson, 80, who faces two counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16, was postponed from Feb. 4 to April 8 because he was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 27 for emergency kidney stone removal.  

During that admission, it was found that Olson also has a blocked heart valve. As a result, treating physicians advised that he not travel until he has been medically cleared.  

In addition, as of Jan. 29 he had not yet received a presentence investigation report.

Olson posted a $200,000 bond on April 25, 2025.