Man sentenced to 25 years for rape and lewd conduct with a minor
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IDAHO FALLS — A man who had sexual relations with a 13-year-old and violently raped a mentally challenged woman was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison Monday morning.
Charles Ray Jones, 30, will serve a minimum of six years with 19 years indeterminate. Restitution will be determined at a later date and Jones will be required to register as a sex offender. The 25-year sentence was given for both the rape and lewd conduct charges. They will be served consecutively.
“I’m scared to be around any men alone because of it,” the 13-year-old victim said during the sentencing hearing in Bonneville County. “It made me very, very suicidal because it made me feel that’s the only thing I’m good for is to have sex with.”
Seventh District Judge Joel Tingey said he was worried about the possibility of Jones re-offending. The pre-sentence investigation found that Jones is a moderate risk to re-offend.
“This is the type of thing where you really can never quantify the amount of damage done by the actions because it just goes on and on,” Tingey said during sentencing.
Jones has an IQ in the range of 61, which Tingey called developmentally delayed. Average adults have an IQ ranging between 80 to 120 on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. A score of 69 or below is considered extremely low.
“I recognize we’re dealing with someone who has some disability — developmentally delayed,” Tingey said. “But then, the victim’s were also very, very vulnerable and he took advantage of that.”
Jones raped the 21-year-old woman — who functions at the level of an 8-year-old child — at an Idaho Falls hotel. The abuse occurred in October 2016 but the victim’s mother told investigators Jones threatened to “make their life hell” if they went to police.
The victim told a counselor about the sexual assault, who then reported it to the Idaho Falls Police Department in April 2017.
Court documents state the day of the attack, the victim’s mother asked Jones to bring her daughter to the hotel where the mother and her boyfriend were staying.
During their car ride, the victim told officers Jones touched her breasts and inner thigh so she pushed his hands away.
When they arrived at the hotel, the victim’s mother and her boyfriend went outside to smoke. That’s when Jones is accused of taking the woman into a bathroom, pushing her to the ground and raping her.
According to court documents, Jones said he had sex with the 13-year-old victim because he “wanted the sexual interaction.”
Before being sentenced Monday, Jones said, “I’m sorry for my actions” and then quietly sat down.