BATTLE MOUNTAIN - A 19-year-old Lander County man pleaded guilty Sept. 17 to open or gross lewdness, a gross misdemeanor, at an arraignment in the Sixth Judicial District Court before Judge Richard Wagner.
Kody James Bellm pleaded guilty in accordance with a guilty plea agreement with the district attorney's office that says no additional charges will be filed against him in relation to this crime and it requires that he abide by special conditions.
Bellm faces up to one year in the Lander County Jail and a fine of up to $2,000. He may be eligible for probation if a psychosexual evaluation shows he is not a high risk offender. He may also be ordered to pay restitution to the victim and will have to register as a sex offender.
Bellm described in court what he did and said he knew it was wrong and against the law. He was 18 at the time of the June 7 crime at a local motel. The first criminal complaint stated that there were two victims - ages 13 and 15. The first amended criminal complaint mentions one victim, a 15-year-old.
The Lander County district attorney's office initially filed two charges against Bellm with two alternative charges. Count one charged him with sexual assault against a child under the age of 14 with an alternative charge of lewdness with a child under the age of 14.
Count two charged him with sexual assault against a child under the age of 16 with an alternative charge of open or gross lewdness.
In the case of alternative charges, the district attorney is putting the defendant on notice of both charges and once the evidence is presented, the person can be found guilty of one or the other charge but not both, or acquitted.
The criminal complaint said that the crimes were committed upon the teens against their wills. Undersheriff Robert Quick said the female teens were from out of town.
Bellm was arrested July 12 by Lander County sheriff's deputies on suspicion of sexual assault and open and gross lewdness.
As of Sept. 17, Bellm was still in custody with his bail set at $5,000.
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