Edwards: ‘I Touched Her Inappropriately’
COEUR D’ALENE — In a jailhouse confession Wednesday Coeur d’Alene resident Jason Edwards said he took full responsibility for molesting a 4-year old girl.
Sitting in a visitor booth at the Kootenai County Jail wearing a yellow jail suit Edwards, 38, admitted what he had done.
“I touched her inappropriately,” Edwards said.
Police arrested Edwards Tuesday afternoon after a neighbor discovered her daughter in tears and her dress tucked in her underwear.
Edwards, who lives on the 1400 block of North 9th in Coeur d’Alene, says he drank almost 12 beers and hard alcohol before the girl, who lives nearby, came over to play with his girlfriend’s son Tuesday afternoon. That’s when he says he touched her.
“I’m, I’m really … don’t have words for it. I’m ashamed, I should know better with alcohol, what it can do to you,” he said.
Edwards says he sent the girl outside when her mother began yelling for her and then passed out, waking up only when police knocked on his door a few hours later.
At first he says he denied the allegation but now knows what he did.
“I am very sorry this happened, that girl doesn’t deserve what happened to her,” Edwards said.
Neighbors learned of his arrest this morning. One of Edwards’ neighbors, Alan Lyght was so angry he was shaking when he heard the news.
“I have three little girls myself, eight, eight and nine,” Lyght said. “What if it would’ve been one of them or one of my neighbors? Just sickening. I don’t care for it.”
Neighbor Colleen Smith found the revelation of Edwards’ actions frightening.
“There’s so many children around here that are out all day long and something like this could happen right under our nose,” she said.
During his first court appearance Wednesday a judge set Edwards’ bond at $250,000. Edwards, who does not have a prior criminal history in Kootenai County, remains in custody at the Kootenai County Jail.
