A 50-year-old Twin Falls man appeared in magistrate court Friday following his arrest on two counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16.
Harland Eugene Gothe was taken into custody after authorities received a report in November 2025 that a four-year-old child had been abused. According to court records, the child’s grandmother notified law enforcement after observing bruising on the child’s inner thighs. The child subsequently reported to authorities that Gothe had allegedly touched her inappropriately.
Twin Falls County Magistrate Court set bond at $1 million. Gothe is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on September 4.
The case adds to a pattern of serious criminal conduct prosecuted in Twin Falls County. Another Twin Falls man was sentenced to retained jurisdiction in a separate child exploitation case, while a Pompano Beach resident received four years for DUI manslaughter involving a Twin Falls County victim. A Jerome judge overrode a plea deal and sent a school booster club treasurer to prison in another high-profile local case.