SANDPOINT — A former-daycare owner from Naples is expected to appear in court Monday, Feb. 2, for a pretrial conference related to alleged actions stemming from incidents between 2012 and 2015.  

Katherine Cowell, 51, is expected to appear in court as final preparations are made for a five-day jury trial on Feb. 9. Several actions could result from the hearing, including another continuance, an acknowledgement of a settlement agreement or the go-ahead to continue to trial. 

At the time of publishing, it is undetermined which path Cowell may take.  

She is currently facing life in prison if she is convicted on two felony charges of lewd conduct with a minor for the alleged incidents.  

Cowell is alleged to have been involved with sexual contact of a minor along with her husband, Richard Cowell III, 54, who pled guilty to similar charges in July of criminal conspiracy and lewd conduct with a minor. He was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison for the crimes, which documents allege that he committed those acts with his wife, Katherine. However, his plea does not legally impact Katherine Cowell’s case.  

The Naples woman was originally slated to stand trial on July 14, 2025, but several continuances pushed the trial into 2026 due to significant discovery and evidence that needed to be reviewed in preparation. As a result of the outstanding discovery, the trial was moved to a five-day setting as opposed to four days.    

Cowell remains at the Bonner County Jail on a $1 million bond, despite multiple attempts at either a bond reduction or to be released on her own recognizance.  

Police arrested Richard and Katherine Cowell on Feb. 5, 2025, at their home in Naples, which doubled as an unlicensed child daycare.  

Court documents contend that the alleged abuse took place between 2012 and 2015, with the daycare opening its doors in 2019. The daycare permanently closed its doors six days after the couple’s arrest.  

At a joint preliminary hearing, the alleged victims testified they were coerced into sexual relations with the couple as minors. At Richard’s sentencing, both victims provided statements as well, noting Richard’s lack of accountability for the actions to which he pleaded guilty.