Judge Robert J. Elgee gave Uriah Zamir Crain a chance to turn his life around by sentencing him Thursday morning to a "180-day rider" rather than prison.
Crain, a 19-year-old Hailey man who earned Blaine County 5th District Court's displeasure last month when he failed to show up for sentencing, will spend his 180 days at the North Idaho Correctional Institution in Cottonwood where he'll be given the chance at rehabilitation.
Elgee warned the defendant that if he fails at the rider program his next destination will be the state penitentiary.
"You've got to get off your butt," Elgee said. "You got wake up and you've got to do it soon."
Crain pleaded guilty in February to felony injury to a child and misdemeanor battery for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old Hailey girl in the women's restroom at Alturas Plaza in downtown Hailey on May 1, 2007. He was earlier charged in a Blaine County grand jury indictment with lewd conduct with a minor child under 16, a crime punishable in Idaho by up to life in prison. Court records allege that Crain assaulted the girl after viewing cell phone video recordings of the girl stripping and dancing in the nude.
Blaine County Deputy Prosecuting Matt Fredback told the court at sentencing that Crain deserved to go to prison.
"He knew about the video and really used that as leverage to have his way with her," Fredback said.
The deputy prosecutor further said that Crain has been prosecuted for several other criminal offenses, including burglary, possession of stolen property and possession of marijuana.
"What worries me most, Judge, is that Mr. Crain has trouble following the law," Fredback said. "This is a serious deal and he needs to stand up and face the consequences."
Crain told the court that he missed the May 7 sentencing because he was in Las Vegas where his father was ill and later died. He explained that he turned himself into his bail bondsman after "I was told they were looking for me."
Crain has remained in custody since May 30 when the bail bondsman brought him to the Blaine County Jail.
Public defender Christopher Simms told the court that his client had a troubled childhood.
"This is a young man who's had nothing in his life but chaos, turmoil and disorder," Simms said.
Elgee said Crain's childhood problems "might explain but doesn't excuse criminal conduct."
Uriah Zamir Crain
