Sandpoint man charged with forcible rape

Story has been updated.

BONNERS FERRY — A Sandpoint man has been charged with forcible rape against a minor under 16.

Brandon M. Watterson, 40, is being charged for an alleged incident involving a teenage victim that took place in November or December in 2019.

A preliminary hearing was reset because Watterson did not have an attorney at the time of his initial hearing before Judge Debra A. Heise on July 15. As a result, the hearing was postponed to Aug. 5.

According to court documents, the alleged victim was allegedly raped in her bedroom in 2019. She was 14 at the time.

In an affidavit written by Boundary County Detective Caleb Watts on Jan. 31, 2021, Watterson allegedly crawled into teen’s bed and forcibly raped her. In the affidavit, Watts said the teen did not initially report the incident because she thought it would be her word against his.

If found guilty, Watterson is facing life in prison. A no contact order is in place.

Watterson has previously been charged with injury to a child, a felony, in Bonner County. As of August 2021, he was set to serve three years with an indeterminate period of four years. Additionally, he has three misdemeanor drunken driving charges, all from Bonner County.