Idaho Falls man gets probation after charges reduced in lewd conduct case - East Idaho News
Crime Watch

Idaho Falls man gets probation after charges reduced in lewd conduct case

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IDAHO FALLS — A man who told police he grabbed a 15-year-old girl’s chest and engaged in sexual activity with her has been sentenced to probation.

Bryce Waters, 21, was taken into custody in January and charged with lewd conduct with a minor under 16. A plea agreement reduced that charge to felony injury to a child.

District Judge Bruce Pickett sentenced Waters to two years fixed with eight years indeterminate. He suspended the sentence giving Waters eight years of probation, 60 days in jail, a $1,000 fine and 100 hours of community service. Waters must also undergo substance abuse and sex-offender treatment.

“We got a psychosexual evaluation, we met with the victim’s family, we talked about different ways that the case would be resolved and that’s what we came up with,” Bonneville County Deputy Prosecutor John Dewey said about the decision to reduce the lewd conduct charge to injury to a child.

According to court documents, the victim had been spending weekends at a relative’s house in March and April 2017 when the sexual contact took place. It was the victim’s counselor who initially told police about the 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 sexual contact. She told police Waters told her to watch pornography “so she could learn some things and then they could have fun,” according to documents.

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