VALLEY COUNTY, ID – In December, the Valley County Sheriff’s Office received a notification from the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force of an incident involving the transmission of Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM), also referred to as child pornography. Internet providers, social media platforms, and telecommunications companies are required by federal law to report any suspected CSEM that is uploaded or downloaded on their platforms to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC compiles these “Cyber Tips” and disseminates them to the appropriate state ICAC task force. ICAC then determines the local jurisdiction where the CSEM was sent or received and notifies that law enforcement agency.
Valley County Sheriff’s detectives began investigating the case and identified two ten-year-old victims of child enticement here in Valley County. Investigators also identified an adult in the Seattle, WA area. The suspect enticed the victims to upload CSEM material through the social media platform Instagram. Due to the suspect’s location, the Seattle ICAC unit was also notified. Unfortunately, they did not open an investigation due to a lack of solvability factors (this is not uncommon in urban areas that are forced to triage large numbers of Cyber Tips).
Valley County detectives continued to investigate, and after serving several search warrants and subpoenas for social media records, they identified dozens of additional child victims in the Olympia, WA area. The suspect was targeting girls between 8 and 14 years old to entice them to send him CSEM images via Instagram. He also messaged them in an attempt to meet with him in person to engage in sexual acts. He was brazen enough to coach his victims on how to sneak out of their homes so he could pick them up in his vehicle.
Last week, our lead detective on the case traveled to Washington and assisted with the arrest and interview of the suspect, a 22-year-old man from Lacey, WA. Investigation provided the necessary probable cause for detectives from the Lacey Police Department to obtain search warrants of the suspect’s residence and digital devices. These searches uncovered evidence linking him to the two victims in Valley County. Detectives with the Lacey Police Department arrested the man after uncovering numerous additional images of CSEM and sexually explicit communications with dozens of children in the greater Seattle area. He was arrested for Possession of Depictions of a Minor Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct in the First Degree and Communication with a Minor for Immoral Purposes.
Sheriff Kevin Copperi reiterated his unequivocal support for investigating crimes against children to the maximum extent possible. He stated, “If you target children in this community, we will come after you. Even if you are in another state, we will dedicate the resources necessary to investigate and arrest anyone that harms a child. These crimes are a top priority in Valley County and throughout Idaho.”
Valley County Sheriff’s office thanks Lacey Police Department for their hard work and professionalism in assisting with this case and ultimately taking a child predator off the street. Lacey Police detectives were willing to take on this case despite it originating in Idaho, and their efforts were critical to a successful outcome.
