68-year-old man who solicited teen over internet sentenced to prison
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS — A 68-year-old man who solicited a teenage boy over the internet has been sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison.
Randy Russell Sargent was sentenced to 18 months fixed time in prison with 12 years indeterminate for felony enticing a child over the internet. Sargent’s second charge of sexual battery of a minor was dropped due to a plea agreement.
“I have disrespected myself, my family and my friends. I’m so disgusted with myself that I have a hard time looking at myself. I want to apologize to the court and to the young man,” Sargent said during sentencing.
Despite Sargent’s request for probation and sex offender treatment, District Judge Dane Watkins sided with the prosecution and sentenced Sargent to prison.
“Let me be clear, you molested a child. The court cannot escape those facts,” Watkins said.
Sentencing revealed Sargent met the teen victim in 2016 after responding to a Craigslist ad from someone who claimed he was looking for a person for his son to engage in sexual activity with.
Sargent and the victim sent photos to each other and eventually engaged in sexual conduct.
According to court documents, Sargent admitted to touching the victim’s genitals because “that was the most sexual contact (the victim) would allow” but told investigators they never had sex.
Sargent told investigators that in an attempt to make the teenager “feel more comfortable with the situation,” he would strip naked with another adult man and allow the victim to watch as the other man put a diaper on Sargent.
Sargent’s crimes happened between Aug. 2016 and Oct. 2017. He was arrested in Dec. 2018.