Idaho inmate sentenced for sexual assault

A man who was part of an Idaho prison detail sent to work at a wildfire base camp in Sanpete County last summer was sentenced Wednesday for a sexual assault that occurred during his time in the state. Ruben Hernandez pleaded guilty in December to sexual battery, a Class A misdemeanor, and Judge Wallace Lee sentenced him to 270 days in the Sanpete County Jail. The sentence will run consecutive with his remaining sentence in Idaho, but he was given credit for the 154 days he has already spent in jail. Hernandez was part of a program that allows low-level offenders who have less than a year until parole to help at wildfire base camps. Richard Gale, Hernandez’s attorney, said that because of the incident, Hernandez’s Idaho parole date has been rescinded, which means he will not be eligible for release until 2023.