A Clarkston man was sentenced for rape after his request to withdraw a guilty plea was denied.

Aaron Pitts, 42, was sentenced Wednesday by 2nd District Judge Mark Monson at the Nez Perce County Courthouse.

He was sentenced to 2-8 years for a felony rape charge and was given a rider to receive treatment during his sentence. He was ordered to pay $545.50 in court costs and pay $5,000 to the victim, according to court documents.

Pitts was arrested in February 2023 for having sexual intercourse with a minor.

A plea agreement was signed by Pitts on Jan. 19, but a motion to withdraw the guilty plea was filed Feb. 27 by his public defender, Randy Reed, and states that Pitts felt that his attorney pressured him to accept the plea agreement and enter a change of plea.

Pitts had two other attorneys, one from Nolta Law Office and another from Magyar, Rauch and Associates, before Reed was appointed.

One of those attorneys negotiated a plea agreement, which wasn’t signed, and then Reed was appointed to the case and negotiated a new plea agreement, which was signed and pleaded to on the record in court.

Because of the multiple attorneys and “lengthy” mediation, Pitts “now feels he acted in haste and under pressure from counsel to accept the plea offer,” according to court documents.

Pitts wrote a declaration of support for the motion to withdraw Feb. 27, citing the same reasons Reed wrote in his motion, according to court documents.

Reed then filed a motion to withdraw as Pitts’ attorney March 20 because of a breakdown of attorney/client relationship, according to the motion.

Nez Perce County Chief Deputy Prosecutor April Smith filed a response to the motion March 20. She highlighted that at the change of plea hearing Jan. 19, Pitts stated that he wasn’t pressured into taking the plea and Monson found that the guilty plea was made knowingly, freely and voluntarily.

Smith argued that the request is being made because Pitts has changed his mind and doesn’t have a just reason for withdrawing the plea.

She also noted that in the agreement the state agreed not to file additional charges of rape, injury to child or delivery of a controlled substance. Pitts was also accused of providing methamphetamine to the victim for several months, according to court documents.

At a hearing April 10, Monson denied the request for Pitts to withdraw his guilty plea and the motion to withdraw as attorney, according to court documents.

After Pitts was sentenced Wednesday, Monson said he would defer to Pitts and Reed to talk about an appeal, according to court documents.

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.