Yeates now heads to district court

The former Blackfoot High School girls soccer coach charged with seven counts of lewd conduct appeared in Bannock County court Tuesday for her preliminary hearing.

Alisha Yeates, who served as the head girls soccer coach in 2013, was represented by Blackfoot attorney Justin Oleson. Bannock County chief deputy attorney represented the alleged underage victim.

Yeates currently faces two charges in Bannock County and five in Bingham County.

The victim was the only witness called to testify at the hearing. In her testimony, she described her sexual relationship with Yeates, saying it went on from September 2011 to May 2013. She also said Yeates was her soccer coach for around four years, in city leagues and for one season in high school.

She recounted two instances of having sexual relations with Yeates: once at her sister’s apartment in Chubbuck and another time at a hotel in Pocatello. When asked about specific dates for these instances, the victim couldn’t give exact dates.

In his cross examination, Oleson asked many questions to try and narrow the timeline provided by the victim, which he said was too long. He also said he tried to narrow it for alibi purposes.

Yeates will now have an arraignment hearing at a future date. She is set to appear in Bingham County court on Sept. 17.