Shelley man sentenced for child sex crimes as bikers rally at courthouse

BLACKFOOT — A Shelley man was sentenced Monday to prison for sexually abusing a child.

Bingham County District Court Judge Darren B. Simpson sentenced Steven Hardee, 35, to 10 years fixed prison time plus 20 years indeterminate for two counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16. Under Idaho law, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

Hardee was found guilty of the crimes in August after a two-day trial. Bingham County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Oliver Wimbish said Hardee was charged in April 2024 after sheriff’s deputies said he engaged in ongoing lewd conduct with a child beginning when the victim was about 10 years old.

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In a victim impact statement, the victim’s mother, who caught him with her daughter, said, “When I walked in that night, it was like a freight train. I honestly could not believe what I saw. The train has dragged me through to today. I live with guilt and anger. How could I have trusted someone capable of abusing my daughter?”

Before the sentencing, Hardee’s attorney, Richard Hearn, told the court, “My client is sorry for the harm he has caused. It was terrible judgment on his part. I asked the court to consider letting him have a life, which would mean focusing on protecting society, determined on rehabilitation and not focusing on retaliation.”

Hardee, who claimed the girl initiated the sexual contact by grabbing his hand and placing it in her pubic area, declined to give a statement on his behalf at the sentencing.

Before delivering the sentence, Judge Simpson told Hardee, “Your story simply makes no sense. There is no excuse for this kind of conduct at all. Ever. I don’t care whether she grabbed your hand and put it on her private parts or not. You should’ve stopped it. This is something she will have to live with for the rest of her life.”

Simpson determined that due to the seriousness of the crime, Hardee is not a candidate for probation.

“The victim and her mother are happy that he (Hardee) is going away,” said Kregg Passey, a relative of the victim who served as spokesman for the family. “Judge Simpson did a good job. I’m really impressed.”

Passey, the sergeant-at-arms of the Hideous Horsemen Motorcycle Club in Pocatello, said club members attended Hardee’s sentencing and parked their motorcycles outside the Bingham County Courthouse to show that such crimes would not be tolerated.

The motorcycle club also held an awareness ride over the weekend with around 40 bikers stopping at county courthouses from Pocatello to Ashton to draw attention to sex crimes against children. The victim and her mother rode from Bingham to Bonneville County on the ride.

RELATED | Bikers ride for justice: Hideous Horsemen Motorcycle Club takes a stand against child sex crimes

Donations from the ride raised $800, which was given to the victim and her family to help with court costs.

Passey added that court staff and prosecutors expressed appreciation for the club’s support and told him “it needs to happen more often.”

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