Former local coach already sentenced to prison pleads guilty to similar charge in Ada County

BOISE — A former Soda Springs High School teacher and coach who was sentenced to prison in Caribou County for rape has entered a plea agreement in Ada County for similar charges.

Wade Lee Schvaneveldt, 53, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lewd conduct with a minor after reaching a plea agreement with the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, court records show. In exchange, two additional charges have been dismissed.

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Schvaneveldt was charged with 20 counts of rape in Caribou County last September following an investigation triggered when a former Soda Springs high student-athlete informed police of a sexual relationship that began between the two when she was 16.

The victim testified during a preliminary hearing in November and said that after months of grooming, she and Schvaneveldt had sex for the first time while the basketball team was at a tournament in Boise.

In March, Schvaneveldt was arrested in Franklin County on an Ada County warrant for charges related to those initial sex acts.

Schvaneveldt pleaded guilty to two counts of rape in Caribou County, and was sentenced to eight to 18 years in prison.

With the Caribou County case closed, Ada County was free to continue its case. Schvaneveldt entered a guilty plea Monday. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

He is scheduled to sentenced by District Judge Steven Hippler on Nov. 6.