BLACKFOOT —Innocent pleas to two misdemeanor counts of battery were entered before a magistrate judge on behalf of Justin Oleson, the Custer County prosecuting attorney accused by the parents of two juvenile boys of manhandling them during last year’s Eastern Idaho State Fair.

Defendants in misdemeanor cases are not required to be in court for an arraignment and Oleson’s pleas were entered by his attorney, Jeromy Pharis in the Jan. 21 proceeding. No additional court hearings have yet been scheduled.

According to court records, Oleson — a member of the fair board and a private practice attorney in Blackfoot — was a volunteer assisting fair security with crowd control at the pit area during the fair’s demolition derby when he came upon two boys in a pickup who didn’t have the proper credentials to be in the area. Oleson is accused of grabbing the boys and removing them from the pickup in the Sept. 7 incident.

According to court documents Blackfoot police officers were summoned to the scene and, after interviewing Oleson, quoted him as saying he didn’t recall touching anyone, only that two juveniles were upset at not being allowed into the pit area and being made to walk to the grandstand.

No citations were issued at the time. Oleson was charged four months after the alleged incident, reportedly at the insistence of the boys and their parents.

Bingham County Prosecutor Paul Rogers recused himself from the case due to his close association with local attorneys, and Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs was appointed special prosecutor. He in turn assigned the case to Deputy Prosecutor Jacob Twiggs, who said Jan. 21 the next step in the case will be a trial.