Kendrick man sentenced for rape

Moscow-Pullman Daily News - 1/4/2018

Jan. 04--Eric Scott, a 48-year-old Kendrick man, was sentenced Wednesday in Latah County 2nd District Court to five to 20 years in prison for raping a girl under the age of 16.

Judge Jay Gaskill also retained jurisdiction over Scott, sentencing him to a rider for 365 days, after which time Scott will be eligible for probation.

Almost a year ago to the day, Scott was arrested by Idaho State Police on suspicion of repeatedly raping a girl under the age of 16 over several years. Scott, a former information technology manager for the city of Lewiston, pleaded guilty to rape in July.

During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Scott's attorney, David R. Partovi, called many of the defendant's family members to the witness stand in order to testify to the progress Scott has made emotionally and spiritually during the past year.

In his opening statement, Partovi said he was not justifying Scott's actions but he stated that at the time when the rapes were occurring Scott was in an abusive marriage. The abuse ultimately drove him to seek comfort with someone who shared his same experiences, and unfortunately that bond grew too close, Partovi said.

Scott's son, Stanley Austin Scott, testified that since his parents' divorce and over the past year, his father has become "a completely new and different person in every way."

Glenda Kadir, Scott's older sister, testified "he is a changed individual -- he is the rock holding us together."

Kadir said Scott has spent an extended period of time over the past several months at her home and she has never been concerned for her own 13-year-old daughter's safety.

"My brother is a great guy who made a horrible mistake," she said

When asked if she believed her brother would re-offend, Kadir said "absolutely not -- zero (chance)."

Assistant Prosecutor Mia Vowels argued a psycho-sexual evaluation showed Scott was considered to be a moderate risk to re-offend.

Scott's victim, now 20, also took the witness stand in Scott's defense Wednesday in an effort to persuade Gaskill to impose a lighter sentence.

"We've both made a mistake and we are both at fault," she said. "He was the adult in the situation (but) I pursued it -- I threw myself at him, I made it easy. We shared so much abuse together."

Vowels argued what happened to the girl was not a mistake and Scott had spent many years grooming her to believe she was at fault as well.

In addition to a 10-year prison sentence, Vowels asked Gaskill to impose a $5,000 civil penalty so that in the future if Scott's victim decides to seek counseling she would be able to receive some cost compensation.

Before the sentence was imposed, Scott stood to speak a few words in his defense.

"I want to apologize for not being the man I should have been," he said. "What happened was a collision between (my victim) and I. I am ashamed of what I allowed to happen. I am committed to growth and self-help."

Scott will also be required to register as a sex offender and a no-contact order between he and the victim was extended.

Katie Short can be reached at (208) 883-4633, or by email to kshort@dnews.com.

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