BOISE, Idaho — This article first appeared in the Idaho Press.
A former Treasure Valley law enforcement officer is facing nearly a dozen felony charges.
Gerald Fairbanks, who worked for the Ada County Sheriff's Office from 1992-2011, was arrested in December and charged with eight counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16, and two counts of sexual abuse of a child under 16 — all felonies, according to online court records. Four of the lewd conduct charges and one of the sexual abuse charges stem from events that allegedly occurred in 2008 — while Fairbanks was employed by ACSO — and the other charges stem from events that allegedly occurred in 2014.
Fairbanks' most-recent job with the sheriff's office was a detention deputy, according to an ACSO spokesperson.
Fairbanks was booked into the Ada County Jail on Dec. 20 and later transferred to the Elmore County Jail in Mountain Home, where he's being held on a $500,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30.
Fairbanks' defense attorney is Jon Cox, the same attorney who counseled former Idaho lawmaker Aaron von Ehlinger during his rape trial. Von Ehlinger was convicted and sentenced to serve at least eight years, and up to 20 years, in prison.
If convicted, Fairbanks faces up to life in prison for each lewd conduct charge and up to 25 years in prison for each sexual abuse charge.
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