Colorado man arrested after police say he traveled to Idaho Falls to have sex with minor
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IDAHO FALLS — Police say a 30-year-old man traveled from Colorado to Idaho Falls to have sex with a 17-year-old.
Carlos Michael Ortega was charged with felony rape where the victim is 16 or 17 years old, and the perpetrator is three or more years older than the victim.
On Jan. 25, an Idaho Falls police officer took a report from Jefferson County that a 17-year-old girl had been picked up from her home and taken to Idaho Falls by a man identified as Ortega.
According to court documents, Ortega had sex with the victim in Idaho Falls.
The officer scheduled a forensic interview for the victim, who said Ortega picked her up at home and took her to The Hampton Inn in Idaho Falls on Jan. 6.
While at the hotel, the victim says they had sex.
When an officer called Ortega later, he confirmed he had traveled from Colorado to Idaho and picked up the victim.
Ortega said he and the victim had been talking and he “perceived their relationship to be romantic.”
During the interview, Ortega originally said the victim was 18-years-old, but later said she was 17-years-old.
He allegedly stopped at a gas station to buy condoms before taking the victim to the hotel.
During the Idaho investigation, Ortega was incarcerated in the Pueblo County Jail in Colorado. It is not clear what he was incarcerated in Colorado for.
A warrant from Bonneville County was issued for Ortega on April 1, and was served on May 8.
Ortega was given a bond of $30,000, and he is currently being held at the Bonneville County Jail. A no-contact order was issued for the victim,
Ortega is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 21. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
Though Ortega has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.