68-year-old man arrested for sexual battery of teenage boy
Published at
IDAHO FALLS — A 68-year-old Rigby man has been charged with enticing a minor over the internet and sexual battery of a minor.
Randy Russell Sargent was arrested for allegedly meeting up with a boy he had met online to engage in sexual acts.
The alleged crimes took place between Aug. 2016 and Oct. 2017. The victim, who was 15-years-old at the time, posted ads on Craigslist looking for sex with adults, according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.
Sargent replied to the victim and they agreed to meet for sex, documents state. Sargent and the boy allegedly exchanged explicit photos of each other and had five sexual encounters.
The victim allegedly told Sargent he was 18 and a senior at a local high school.
Sargent admitted to touching the victim’s genitals because “that was the most sexual contact (the victim) would allow” but told investigators they never had sex.
Sargent told investigators that in an attempt to make the teenager “feel more comfortable with the situation,” he would strip naked with another adult man and allow the victim to watch as the other man put a diaper on Sargent.
According to documents, Sargent told investigators he should have known better because the victim looked so young. Sargent claims the boy told him he had been held back a year in school and had a disease that kept him from physically maturing.
Sargent is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 14. He faces up to 25 years in prison.