Pocatello man charged for allegedly sexually assaulting woman in her sleep
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POCATELLO — A 19-year-old man has been charged after a woman reported he sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping.
Skyler Loftus was charged with felony forcible penetration by use of a foreign object and misdemeanor sexual battery.
Court documents say a Pocatello Police Officer was dispatched to Portneuf Medical Center on Monday for a report of a sexual assault. When the officer arrived, the victim stated she had been visiting a friend, identified as Loftus, and they were watching a TV show.
The victim stated before going to his home, she had taken a dose of Trazodone, a common sedation medication used to treat depression. During their visit, Loftus asked her to “cuddle” while watching the show, and she fell asleep.
When she woke up, Loftus was reportedly groping her without her consent. She fell back asleep, and when she woke up the second time, he was sexually assaulting her. According to police reports, the victim fell asleep a third time, and when she woke up, she was still being assaulted.
This time, Loftus reportedly grabbed the victim’s hand and forced her to touch him inappropriately. The victim says she tried to roll away from Loftus, but he continued to assault her.
The officer then called Loftus and asked him to meet at the Pocatello Police Department.
During an interview, Loftus reportedly stated he had been hanging out with the victim at his home, and they were watching TV before they both fell asleep. Loftus said he woke up at 11 a.m. to go to work the following day.
When asked if he spoke to the victim at all the next day, he reportedly stated she called him “out of the blue” and asked him if he “remembered last night.” Loftus said he did not and had drank “about 12 ounces of Fireball and taken about 25 hits of a vape pen that had THC and nicotine in it.”
The officer repeatedly asked Loftus multiple times if he was leaving anything out of the story, and Loftus said no.
When asked if anything sexual happened between Loftus and the victim, he reportedly said he could not remember, then admitted they had kissed. He then added that they had kissed “a couple of times” and stated “he didn’t think anything else happened.”
When asked if the victim ever said no or asked him to stop, Loftus reportedly could not recall.
The officer then asked if Loftus had been 100% honest, to which, after a long pause, he responded, “No, I have not.”
Loftus then reportedly admitted to sexually assaulting the victim. He claimed he was “in the mood and out of it because of the beer and vape pen” and that “if he wasn’t intoxicated, he would not have (sexually assaulted the victim).”
When asked if he ever asked the victim if the sexual contact was okay, Loftus said he did not.
Loftus was arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Bannock County Jail on a $20,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to the sexual battery charge and did not plea to the remaining charge.
During his initial appearance, a no-contact order was issued for the victim.
He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 17. If convicted, Loftus could face up to life in prison.
Though Loftus has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.