UPDATE: Charges amended against local dentist

Local dentist Dr. John Goodrich was released from custody Tuesday afternoon following his arrest last week on three felony charges.

Goodrich, 57, was initially charged with rape, incest and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16.

However, two of those charges were subsequently dropped, and he faces a single count of lewd conduct with child under the age of 16.

He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon at the Elmore County Courthouse. Information presented at that hearing indicated that the charges stem from an alleged incident 20 years ago involving a female known to him through personal relations.

Goodrich is due back in court the morning of Sept. 20 for a preliminary hearing. Information at that hearing will determine whether he will be bound over to district court to face the felony charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of $50,000.

During Tuesday's hearing, deputy prosecutor Lee Fisher asked Magistrate Judge Theodore Fleming to set Goodrich's bond at $1 million.

In his client's defense, however, attorney Mike Crawford urged the judge to release Goodrich on his own recognizance, citing that the doctor has no criminal past. In addition, the allegations against Goodrich are two decades old and didn't come forward until divorce proceedings began against the dentist and his wife, according to Crawford.

Fleming sided with the defense attorney's position and ordered that Goodrich be released on his own recognizance. The judge cited the doctor's long-standing medical practice in the Mountain Home community and that the evidence in the case appeared to be thin.

The judge did impose an order that prohibits Goodrich from having any contact with the alleged victim.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, officials with the Mountain Home Police Department emphasized that the case remains under investigation.