Pocatello man arrested after allegedly asking undercover detective for sex
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POCATELLO — A 32-year-old man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly asked an undercover detective, who he thought was a 13-year-old girl, for naked photos and sex.
James Martin is charged with felony attempted coercion and enticement of a child for sexual activity.
According to court documents, a detective with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, was acting undercover as a 13-year-old girl on the messaging app Kik.
The detective would reportedly “post in numerous Kik groups asking if anybody was in the group.” Police reports say this is “common practice in Kik groups, and other Kik users will either reply in the group chat or send a private message reply.”
On Jan. 25 at 7:39 p.m., the detective received a private message from a user whose screen name was “James Martin.”
Martin allegedly told the detective, who was acting as a 13-year-old girl, that he was a 32-year-old man from Pocatello and asked if she wanted to “trade sexy pics.”
The detective told Martin that they were a 13-year-old girl from Nevada.
According to court documents, Martin repeatedly asked the undercover detective to send naked pictures and also sent nude photos of himself.
The conversation then moved to Snapchat, where Martin reportedly enabled his geolocation, showing the detective that he was in Pocatello.
Martin allegedly continued to send naked photos, including those exposing his genitalia and asked the detective to send him photos back. The detective video recorded the Snapchat messages as they popped up and disappeared.
Martin also reportedly said he “would love” for the 13-year-old to come to visit him in Pocatello and stated he was going to have sex with her when they saw each other.
The detective repeatedly mentioned being 13 years old, having to hide their relationship from their parents, and that what they were doing was illegal. Martin responded, “If you won’t tell anyone, I’m perfectly fine with it.”
At one point, the detective told Martin that an ex-boyfriend had broken up with them because “he said he didn’t want to date a minor anymore cuz it was illegal.”
Martin reportedly responded, “His loss, my gain. Does that make me a creep because I find you attractive being a minor?”
On Jan. 27, Martin reportedly “continually pressure(d) (the detective) to do a video chat with him via Snapchat.”
The detective contacted a female Nevada State police officer who was able to help the detective conduct a voice call over Snapchat with Martin, who reportedly did not suspect they were law enforcement.
The detective also made a fake Facebook profile for their undercover 13-year-old persona. When they checked the account, Martin had reportedly requested to be their friend.
When investigating Martin’s Facebook, the detective found his publicly listed date of birth, allowing them to conduct a records check.
This led them to find Martin’s Idaho records, which included an EastIdahoNews.com article about Martin being charged with a felony after attempting to evade a “weed bust” with the Pocatello Police Department.
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The detective then reportedly tried to convince Martin to drive to Reno, Nevada, on Feb. 13 to meet with the fake 13-year-old girl for “illegal sexual activity.”
Martin reportedly then responded he would rather meet in Pocatello and “stated that he would engage in illegal sexual activity when the child arrived.”
Martin was arrested on Feb. 13 by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Pocatello Police Department, working in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations.
A news release from the Idaho Attorney General says the operation was “a cooperative effort that included the ICAC Task Force, Pocatello Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.”
Martin was booked into the Bannock County Jail. His bond is unknown, and further court hearings have not yet been scheduled.
If convicted, Martin could face up to life in prison.
Though Martin has been charged with these crimes, this does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“This is a testament to the power of relationships,” says Pocatello Police Department Chief Roger Schei of the Pocatello Police Department in the release. “Many agencies came together to make this arrest happen to keep our community safe. I appreciate all the hard work of the men and women who were involved.”
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