Man accused of sexually abusing teen girl allegedly found with nude photos of the victim
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IDAHO FALLS — A 36-year-old man accused of having a sexual relationship with a teen girl has allegedly been found with sexually explicit photos of the victim.
Jerry Ewell, 36, was arrested in March for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. When first arrested, Ewell told investigators the victim sent him sexually explicit images. He is now facing new charges consisting of five counts of felony possession of sexually exploitive material of a minor.
According to court documents, when investigators initially searched Ewell’s smartphone they were unable to locate any sexually explicit images. Documents show the reason was investigators only had a short amount of time to search the device.
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However, in June, Ewell’s wife took his smartphone to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s office and told deputies the device contained nude images of the victim. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the phone and a forensic search uncovered dozens of sexually explicit images of the victim.
Ewell is scheduled to appear in court to be arraigned on the new charges on Wednesday, Sept. 5. A jury trial for the original charge of felony sexual battery of a minor is scheduled for Oct. 29. Ewell is being held on a $50,000 bond.