BOISE, Idaho — Within a span of six days, between April 21 and April 27, Boise Police Department's Special Victims Unit (SVU) detectives arrested three suspects in three unrelated investigations for online child enticement.
According to the Boise Police Department (BPD), all of the victims were under the age of 16. Detectives, along with other adults aware of the crimes were able to intervene before any of the victims suffered physical harm.
On Monday, the department hosted a 2-hour Q&A (Questions-and-Answers) forum to discuss the recent arrests, warning signs of child enticement crimes, prevention and available resources.
"Our SVU detectives are committed to holding suspects accountable and protecting victims from further harm," said Boise Police Captain Matt Jones.
Aforementioned Online Child Enticement Arrests:
Three arrests were made by Boise police over a six-day period for child enticement via the internet. These are active investigations, according to the BPD.
- Friday, April 21, 2023 - Boise Police Department Special Victims Unit (SVU) detectives arrested a suspect after a parent alerted investigators to concerning text messages on a minor's phone. Detectives discovered that the messages were from another adult who was known to the victim and parent. Upon further investigation, BPD investigators deemed it evident that the suspect was corresponding with the minor in an attempt to pursue sexual contact. The suspect was arrested and charged with child enticement.
- Tuesday, April 25, 2023 - SVU detectives arrested a Registered Sex Offender who was accused of initiating contact with a 15-year-old on the social media app, Snapchat. Detectives concluded that the suspect did not personally know the minor. It was concluded, based on the evidence gathered, that the suspect was attempting to have sexual contact with the victim. Detectives arrested and charged the suspect with child enticement.
- Thursday, April 27, 2023 - SVU detectives arrested a suspect for arranging to meet and have sexual contact with a minor. This was the second incident regarding the suspect and the victim. In early April of 2023, detectives were informed of an incident that occurred over Snapchat between the two in November of 2021. According to BPD detectives, the suspect and the victim were not strangers, and did know each other. Additional evidence led detectives to arrest the suspect on two charges of child enticement.
Tips for Guardians and Minors:
Boise Police Department Special Victims Unit encourage parents and caregivers to communicate with minors about the potential threats associated with online child enticement.
- Communicate to children how to responsibly utilize a phone and the applications they may have access to.
- Discuss potential dangers and risk of cyberbullying, sexting, explicit imagery, online predators and abusive tactics.
- Set guidelines for phone, app, social media and online usage. Some phone plans have built-in controls to assist parents.
- Guardians should monitor phone usage and be vigilant in the minor's communications, including calls, texts and messages.
- Consider having the charging station in a guardian's bedroom or shared space at night to prevent phone usage overnight.
- Parents should know all passwords.
"Together, with doctors, counselors, prosecutors and parents, we are working to create a safer tomorrow for our youth and we hope more education about how these crimes occur will help protect kids online," said Jones.
Child enticement crimes can have traumatic impacts on victims of the crime. If you or someone you know is a victim of such crimes or is at risk of being victimized, report it to Boise Police at (208)377-6790 or contact the emergency line by dialing 9-1-1.
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