IDAHO FALLS – A judge convicted a teenager who took photos of himself sexually abusing a child and having sex with the family dog.
The 17-year-old, who was charged with indecent behavior as an adult, was sentenced to prison on Thursday. District Judge Joel Tingey has been sentenced to three to 20 years’ imprisonment while the teen is still in programming for the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. EastIdahoNews.com does not name the teenager due to their age and in order to protect the identity of the victims.
A second indecency charge was dropped by the Bonneville County Attorney’s Office.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force began an investigation into the now 17-year-old in 2020 when he was 16. According to a report by a detective, MPs walked into the dirty teenager’s house in February 2020 and piles of rubbish made it impossible to open some doors.
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Investigators say there was feces on the ground and flies swarmed in the air. Due to the condition of the house, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare was brought in and workers said they would take steps to protect the young children who lived in it.
A lead presented to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led investigators to the home and said the teenager had child pornography. Investigators searched his phone and discovered pictures of him sexually abusing a child of about six years old. Additional photos over the phone showed the teenage boy having sex with the family’s dachshund.
Based on the pictures, investigators booked the teenager into 3B detention center for possession of child pornography. It is not clear whether these charges were ever prosecuted. It is not listed on public court records because the suspect is a juvenile.
While in custody, investigators spoke to a witness at the teenager’s home who has developmental disabilities. The witness described the teenage boy sexually abusing a 5 and 6 year old boy.
Court records show the teen was also fined $ 750.
