Nampa man assaulted unconscious woman. Now he’ll spend at least 10 years in prison.

A Nampa man who sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman who fell asleep while hanging out with some friends last September has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Richard W. Stewart, 57, was originally charged with rape but ended up pleading guilty to felony battery with intent to commit a serious crime, online court records show.

He will serve at least 10 years in prison before he’s eligible for parole, according to the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office.

At Stewart’s sentencing Monday, Judge Gene Petty also ordered Stewart to pay $20,000 in fines and civil penalties, in addition to court costs and restitution.

“This case is a prime example of a man taking advantage of an intoxicated woman for his own sexual gratification,” Prosecutor Bryan Taylor said in a press release Monday. “It is abhorrent and wrong. I hope today’s sentence sends a message that this activity will not be tolerated in Canyon County.”

The crime occurred last September. The victim told investigators that she was drinking with friends at a Nampa residence and eventually fell asleep in the downstairs of the house, prosecutors said in the release.

She reported to police that she woke up at 3 a.m. to find Stewart raping her. She was able to get him off her and get out of the house. He admitted what he did to the woman’s acquaintances, prosecutors said.

Stewart was ordered to register as a sex offender, provide his DNA to the Idaho database and have no contact with the woman for 20 years.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 8:39 PM.