Southern Idaho man pleads innocent to assault, harassment charges in Asotin County

ASOTIN — A 24-year-old man accused of threatening to kill and bury a woman near the Clarkston waterfront has pleaded innocent to second-degree assault, fourth-degree assault and felony harassment.

Casimiro Mota, of Rupert, Idaho, who remains in the Asotin County Jail on a $50,000 bond, was arraigned Monday in Asotin County Superior Court with Judge Brooke Burns presiding.

According to court documents, Mota threatened to kill a 44-year-old woman, who told police he assaulted her and pushed her face in the dirt, saying “I’m going to bury you out here.” The incident was reported on the 1400 block of Port Drive, near the Snake River.

A man who was parked nearby called police after the disheveled woman, who was bloody and dirty, told him Mota had just assaulted her. According to the probable cause affidavit, Mota emerged from some bushes a short distance away, with his hands in the air, claiming he did nothing.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Curt Liedkie is handling the case on behalf of the state, and public defender Jane Richards has been appointed to represent Mota. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 21.