Man pleads not guilty after nine-year-old reports sexual assault to police
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IDAHO FALLS – A 50-year-old Rigby man pleaded not guilty to the sexual assault of a nine-year-old girl Monday.
Lance Paul Empey was charged with felony lewd conduct with a child under 16.
Police reports say on Feb. 13, an Idaho Falls Police detective was assigned to follow up on a case of a nine-year-old girl who had reported being sexually assaulted by a man identified as Empey.
The girl said the latest assault occurred on Feb. 4 at a home in Idaho Falls. She reportedly told detectives Empey had exposed himself to her and forced her to engage in sexual activity multiple times.
Detectives interviewed Empey, who reportedly stated “ever since having cancer in 2016, he doesn’t have a sex drive.”
Empey allegedly told police that he was alone with the victim on Feb. 4, and explained he had been kicked out of the home. When officers asked why, Empey reportedly stated he “wasn’t really sure.”
According to police, at one point during the interview, Empey stated the following:
“If this happened, yes, I’m truly sorry, K? And no, it would never happen again. I have no intentions whatsoever of being around (the victim) alone ever again, from this day forward, K? I will not be in her presence when it’s just the two of us. If she wants to see me, that is fine, but there will be someone else there flat out, and it won’t be recorded in any way, shape, or form; I do not consent to that. Somebody can sit there while we talk if that’s what she wants. If she doesn’t want to see me, that is fine. That is her choice at this point in time.”
He then stated that he did not sexually abuse the victim.
Empey was then arrested and booked into the Bonneville County Jail with a bond of $300,000. He was arraigned in district court on Monday, and a jury trial was scheduled for January 27, 2025.
According to the Idaho Sex Offender Registry, Empey is a registered sex offender from a conviction in 1993 for battery with intent to commit a serious felony, and lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years of age.
If convicted, Empey could face up to life in prison.
Though Empey has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.