Former Lewiston teacher pleads guilty to rape and molestation charges

ASOTIN — A 58-year-old former Clarkston resident pleaded guilty to 20 felonies, including child rape, Monday in Asotin County Superior Court.

Timothy W. Minear, of Columbia, Tenn., was accused of child sex crimes that reportedly occurred in Asotin County between 1999 and 2005. He will be sentenced on five counts of rape of a child, five counts of first-degree incest, five counts of first-degree child molestation and five counts of second-degree incest after he is evaluated for a Special Sexual Offender Alternative known as SOSA.

The felonies are all linked to crimes against a boy who was younger than the age of 12 at the time of the incidents.

He was arrested in Tennessee earlier this year and remains in custody of the Asotin County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Minear’s next court appearance is set for Aug. 31.

In a written statement, Minear, who previously worked as a kindergarten teacher at Beacon Christian School in Lewiston, told authorities he began molesting boys in 1984.

The charges were filed by Prosecutor Ben Nichols following an investigation by the Asotin County Sheriff’s Office and Tennessee authorities. Public defender Nicholas George of Walla Walla is representing the defendant.