WALLACE — A Silver Valley man accused of lewd conduct with a child younger than 16 pleaded not guilty Monday during his arraignment in Shoshone County District Court. 

Michael P. Flory, 34, was arrested in April after Shoshone County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a possible sexual assault at a residence in Mullan. 

According to investigators, the juvenile victim disclosed that Flory touched them earlier that day after picking them up from school. Detectives reported the victim appeared frightened and said the contact caused pain. The child’s mother told deputies she became alarmed after returning home and finding Flory leaving a bedroom with his pants unbuttoned while the child was unclothed. 

Flory denied the allegations, telling deputies he was coming from a back door rather than a bedroom and would never harm a child. He also reportedly said the victim is a trustworthy child who adores him and suggested any allegation was the result of the child's mother planting the idea in her head, though he could not recall the mother ever previously making the victim lie or believe something untrue. 

The victim’s mother also alleged Flory stole a bottle of liquid hydrocodone from the residence. Investigators reported the medication was not located after Flory was detained. 

During the investigation, Flory consented to a DNA swab, and deputies seized his cellphone as potential evidence. 

With Flory’s not guilty plea entered, the case will proceed to a jury trial scheduled for October. Flory remains in custody at the Shoshone County Jail on a $100,000 bond. 

Following Monday's arraignment, Flory's public defender, Gregory Dickison, hoped to argue for a bond reduction, but that was denied for Monday based on a lack of prior notice for the victim and their family. A motion for bond reduction will be heard at a later date.  

Under Idaho Code 18-1508, lewd conduct with a child younger than 16 is a felony punishable by up to life imprisonment in state prison.