Man accused of lewd conduct with teenage girl

IDAHO FALLS — A local man has been arrested for allegedly having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl.

If convicted, Bryce Waters, 21, could spend up to life in prison. He was taken into custody in January and charged with lewd conduct with a minor under 16. According to court documents, he says she’s just mad that he’s dating someone else.

The victim had been spending weekends at a relative’s house in March and April 2017 when the alleged sexual contact took place. It was the victim’s counselor who initially told police about the alleged abuse. When police spoke to the victim, she said she had a “crush” on Waters who often visited the home where she stayed on weekends.

According to court documents, she told police Waters contacted her through Snapchat. He would tell her that she was cute and said they could date one day.

Waters, at first, told police he wouldn’t date her because of the age difference, but that he and the victim had kissed.

The victim said she felt guilty because she believed she could have prevented the alleged sexual contact. She told police Waters allegedly told her to watch pornography “so she could learn some things and then they could have fun,” according to documents.

Both Waters and the victim said they never had sexual intercourse. Waters eventually said that he had grabbed the victim’s chest and she said they engaged in other sexually explicit activities.

Waters is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 27 in Bonneville County.