BYU-Idaho student arrested for trying to meet teen for sex, police say
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IDAHO FALLS — Police have arrested a Brigham Young University-Idaho student after police say he drove from Rexburg to Idaho Falls to meet with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex.
Instead, Spencer Keagan Rawlings, 25, was talking with an undercover Idaho Falls Police detective. Rawlings, who is originally from Texas, is charged with felony enticing a child over the internet and felony sexual exploitation of a minor.
An affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com indicates Rawlings had sexually-oriented conversations online with the undercover detective on Saturday. Rawlings allegedly asked the supposed 14-year-old to send him nude photographs.
Rawlings is alleged to have talked about having sexual intercourse during the conversation with the undercover detective. Rawlings then asked to meet the “girl” and drove nearly 30 miles from Rexburg to Idaho Falls.
“Rawlings admitted to driving to Idaho Falls, Idaho with the intent to have sex with a minor child,” an officer writes in a probable cause affidavit. “Rawlings admitted to requesting naked photographs of a minor child.”
Rawlings was booked into the Bonneville County Jail and is expected to make his first court appearance Monday afternoon.
Although Rawlings is accused of crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A preliminary hearing for Rawlings is scheduled for Oct. 8 at the Bonneville County Courthouse.