A 34-year-old Mullan man is facing a felony lewd conduct charge after entering a not guilty plea Monday in Shoshone County District Court in Wallace, with a jury trial scheduled for October.
Michael P. Flory was arraigned on a single count of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16 — a felony under Idaho Code 18-1508 that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Allegations and Arrest
Shoshone County authorities arrested Flory in April following a report of a possible sexual assault at a Mullan residence. According to court records, a juvenile victim disclosed that Flory had made physical contact with them after picking the child up from school. The victim appeared frightened and reported that the contact caused pain.
The child’s mother reportedly discovered Flory exiting a bedroom with his pants unbuttoned while the child was unclothed. Flory denied the allegations, claiming he had entered from a back door and maintained he would never harm a child. He also suggested that the victim’s mother had influenced what the child reported.
Separately, the victim’s mother alleged that Flory took a bottle of liquid hydrocodone from the residence. The medication was not recovered when Flory was detained. Investigators seized his cellphone as potential evidence, and Flory consented to providing a DNA swab.
Bond Remains at $100,000
Flory is currently held at the Shoshone County Jail with bond set at $100,000. His public defender, Gregory Dickison, sought a bond reduction at Monday’s arraignment, but the motion was denied because the victim and family had not received proper prior notice. The court indicated the matter would be revisited at a future hearing.
The case is among several serious felony matters moving through Shoshone County District Court. A separate felony child abuse case was recently cleared for an August trial after a district judge ruled the matter ready to proceed.
Flory’s jury trial is scheduled for October. As with all defendants, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
What Comes Next
The bond reduction motion will be scheduled for a future hearing with proper notice provided to the victim and family. Flory remains in custody at the Shoshone County Jail in the meantime. His jury trial in Shoshone County District Court is set for October, where prosecutors will be required to prove the lewd conduct charge beyond a reasonable doubt. Given the nature of the charge and the involvement of a juvenile victim, the case will likely involve additional pretrial proceedings before it reaches the jury.