Man charged after police say he solicited sexually explicit videos from dozens of kids - East Idaho News
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Man charged after police say he solicited sexually explicit videos from dozens of kids

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BLACKFOOT — A Blackfoot man allegedly received dozens of sexually explicit videos and photos from children before threatening to sue or expose them if they did not continue working with him.

Shae James Rolfe, 20, is charged with sexual battery of a minor child 16 or 17 years of age and two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. He is being held in the Bingham County Jail on $250,000 bail.

Blackfoot Police began investigating Rolfe on Aug. 22 after receiving a report that he was soliciting underage children to send him videos of themselves performing sex acts.

“Rolfe would promise the minor children that he would pay them $5,000 if they sent him videos every day for two weeks. They were required to perform and record whatever sexual acts Rolfe ordered them to do,” a probable cause statement obtained by EastIdahoNews.com states.

After Rolfe received the videos and photos, he allegedly told the children that he would post them on their social media pages if they did not continue to send him what he wanted.

Police seized several electronic devices from Rolfe’s home on Lena Lane and found he had texted or communicated with about 120 different people, according to court documents.

“Rolfe was posing as a female by the name of Judith who he said was anywhere from 16 to 18 years old,” court documents state. “In the course of the communications, Rolfe directed the victims to perform specific sexual acts on themselves, on other individuals and on animals.”

Several of the victims told Rolfe they no longer wanted to participate in the videos, but he allegedly threatened to sue them for breach of contract and said he would expose them to their friends and family.

Detectives contacted a 16-year-old girl from Roy, Utah, who sent approximately 27 videos to Rolfe between April and June. She tried to stop, but Rolfe threatened her, according to investigators.

“(She) begged him not to sue her and expose her. She offered to pay Rolfe and even threatened to commit suicide,” court documents read.

Rolfe was arrested Aug. 24. He was also wanted in a 2014 case on three counts of child sexual exploitation and use of a telephone to annoy, harass intimidate or threaten, a misdemeanor.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 6 in the Bingham County Courthouse.

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