LEWISTON, ID — A Nez Perce County grand jury has indicted a Lewiston man on a felony charge of human sex trafficking of a child.
According to a redacted indictment filed Feb. 24 in Idaho’s Second Judicial District Court, Nathan R. Penkert, 42, is charged with one count of human sex trafficking of a child.
The indictment alleges that between July 22 and July 23, 2025, in Nez Perce County, Penkert transported, enticed, recruited, harbored, and/or held a 16-year-old minor and knowingly caused the minor to engage in or become the victim of rape, as outlined in the charging document.
Court records show the indictment was presented in open court on Feb. 20, 2026, and that the grand jury determined there is probable cause to believe a crime was committed. Penkert was arrested at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, by the Lewiston Police Department and booked into the Nez Perce County Jail on a charge of Human Sex Trafficking of a Child.
Bond was set at $250,000 with “any except” conditions, according to court records, and an arraignment in Nez Perce County District Court is scheduled for March 5, 2026, at 9 a.m.
