Man allegedly brags about sex with minor, gets arrested
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IDAHO FALLS — A 32-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly having sex and taking pornographic pictures of a 16-year-old girl.
Corwin Raymond Cole has been charged with sexual battery of a child and sexual exploitation of a child. He was arrested May 17 after he allegedly showed nude photos of a young girl and bragged to acquaintances about his “16-year-old girlfriend.”
“LOL I seriously have to be careful who I open pictures around now because I’ve got so many pictures of you on there and having illegal pictures of my 16 year old girlfriends is thrilling and scary at the same time sometimes LMAO,” Cole allegedly said in a message to the victim.
According to court documents, when he first showed the images to people in a veterans group he is a part of, Cole said the girl in the photos was 18. He later confided in a person who drove him home that the girl was actually 16. Cole asked him not to tell anyone because he didn’t want to get in trouble.
The person who drove Cole home told another man about it and he, in turn, reported the situation to police.
Officers questioned Cole if he had been having contact with a 16-year-old girl, he told them that he had. Cole said he and the victim had talked about having a relationship, but couldn’t because it was illegal.
According to documents one of the witnesses questioned by officers said Cole told him the girl was 16 “but it is okay that she’s 16 because it’s legal in Kansas.”
Kansas is where the victim is reportedly currently living. Cole told officers that she had moved there from Idaho around a month prior.
Officers seized Cole’s smartphone and reportedly found numerous photos of a naked girl. They also found photos of Cole and a girl having sex.
According to documents, when questioned about the photos Cole said they were of the victim. He said the girl he was having sex with was also the victim. He said there was at least one topless photo of another 16-year-old girl who lives in California.
Cole told officers the photos of he and the victim having sex were taken in Idaho Falls prior to her moving to Kansas. He also said they had been having sex frequently since February and that her parents did not know about it.
Cole is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 1.