5 sex crime charges dismissed against former Idaho high school assistant coach
A prosecutor dismissed on Friday the five sex crime charges filed against Kelly Rhinehart in Payette County, who was accused of sexually abusing a juvenile. However, the state could still refile charges.
Rhinehart, 53, of Fruitland, was an assistant coach at Fruitland High School and was indicted after accusations that he sexually abused a teenage girl in 2019.
Rhinehart’s indictment came after he was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in Payette County, according to a copy of the charges. The document also cited at least four occasions between last March and April in which Rhinehart was accused of sexually abusing the girl.
The grand jury indictment charged Rhinehart on suspicion of one count of rape, one count of sexual battery of a minor ages 16 or 17 by lewd or lascivious contact, and three counts of sexual battery of a minor ages 16 or 17 by sexual contact.
The Idaho Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting Rhinehart, because the Payette County prosecutor filed a conflict of interest in the case.
The motion to dismiss Rhinehart’s case, filed by deputy attorney general David Morse, says the state “received additional evidence and has determined that additional investigation is required before it proceeds with this matter.”
Because the investigation would not have been completed by Monday, the scheduled date for a pre-trial hearing, the state dismissed the charges without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could still refile.
After his initial arrest, Rhinehart’s defense disputed all of the charges and he pleaded not guilty. Rhinehart has been out of custody since the day of his arrest, after he posted a $100,000 cash bond.
The Attorney General’s Office did not comment on the dismissal outside of what was in public court documents.
In addition to coaching, Rhinehart was most well-known in the Treasure Valley as the founder of Roady’s Truck Stops, which formerly sponsored what is now called the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. From 2007 to 2009, it was the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, played on Boise State’s blue turf.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 2:20 PM.
