SANDPOINT — A Spirit Lake man who is accused of multiple felonies related to the sexual abuse of children has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been scheduled for trial.  

Clarence Nanney, 74, entered the not guilty plea Thursday to four counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16 and one count of child sexual abuse, all felonies. Together, he could face the maximum penalty of life in prison.  

One count of lewd conduct with a child under 16 was dismissed as the result of a preliminary hearing, where the court did not find enough evidence to charge Nanney with the felony.  

He is scheduled for a four-day trial setting Dec. 14, with a pretrial conference Nov. 16.  

At the time of publishing, Nanney currently remains at the Bonner County Jail on a $500,000 bail.  

Due to the severity of the allegations, details on the case are sealed. Documents contend that the abuse occurred between 2022 and 2023 and that there are two victims in the case, both of whom were between the ages of 14 and 15.  

Nanney was arrested Aug. 5 for the allegations.