PARIS — A former Bear Lake High School assistant softball coach has been found not guilty by a jury after being accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a minor for incidents that allegedly occurred during the spring of 2022.

The verdict exonerating RiLee Lutz of Paris was rendered by the jury on Tuesday, Nov. 26, following a trial that lasted several days at the Bear Lake County Courthouse in Paris.

Lutz was arrested in March 2023 and charged with two felony counts of sexual battery of a minor for allegedly sexually abusing a 17-year-old student athlete.

Jury selection for Lutz’s trial began on Nov. 18 with more than 100 Bear Lake County residents called as potential jurors.

Before 12 jurors with two alternates were seated, two days were consumed in questioning by Judge Cody Brower, Bear Lake County Prosecutor Adam McKenzie and defense counsel Kristian Beckett.

The prosecution relied on four witnesses including one expert witness during the two and a half days that it spent presenting its case. The alleged minor victim, Bear Lake County Sheriff Bart Heslington and the minor’s mother recounted their recollection of events more than two years in the past.

In several instances, that recall was unaided by written or other record to buttress memory, leading to the defense questioning whether events unfolded before or after the minor reached 18 years of age.

Defense counsel directed attention to an additional 22 witnesses, among whom were two expert witnesses, the defendant’s co-workers, softball coaches and players, family members and, in a pivotal moment, Lutz testified in her own defense.

McKenzie focused on the defendant’s decision to offer support to the minor as she struggled with suicidal thoughts, parental disapproval of her sexual preference and her inability to fit into the community or with her peers.

About 30 minutes after retiring for deliberation to consider a total of more than five days of testimony, the jury reached its not guilty verdict.

McKenzie declined to comment at trial’s end.

Beckett remarked on two subjects: First, “trust the jury” and second, “when the state fails to meet its burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, the jury has no option but to render a not guilty verdict.”

Beckett said, “After two criminal trials here, I have never seen individuals more dedicated to upholding their constitutional responsibilities under the law than jurors in Bear Lake County.”

Lutz faced a possible life sentence had she been convicted.