Man who allegedly gave teen runaways marijuana is charged with rape
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IDAHO FALLS — Police have arrested an Idaho Falls man for the alleged rape of a teenage runaway.
Thomas Caleb Andrus, 25, is charged with felony rape where the victim is under 16 and the perpetrator is over 18. According to an affidavit of probable cause, Andrus participated in lewd acts with a 15-year-old girl at his apartment in October 2021.
It is not clear how investigators learned of the alleged crime, but officers write in a report how Andrus sat on the patio of his apartment when the 15-year-old and her 13-year-old friend spotted him. The two teens had just run away and asked to use Andrus’ bathroom.
After Andrus invited the teens inside the 15-year-old said she would turn 18 in two days.
“After Caleb learned that both females were juveniles, he provided them with marijuana which they smoked,” an officer writes in the probable cause statement. “Both juveniles later advised that they felt as if the marijuana had been laced with other substances due to how intoxicated they became.”
After smoking the marijuana, the 15-year-old asked Andrus to engage in sexual intercourse, according to court documents. The 13-year-old left the apartment when Andrus and the 15-year-old engaged in sex.
In an interview with police, Andrus admitted he and the victim engaged in sex, knowing she was under 18. Under Idaho law, a minor under 16 is unable to give consent, making any sexual contact a crime.
Prosecutors charged Andrus with the felony Wednesday and he was booked into the Bonneville County Jail Tuesday.
Although Andrus is accused of a crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A preliminary hearing for Andrus is scheduled for Feb. 16.