Man arrested for allegedly soliciting teen less than half his age
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IDAHO FALLS — Police say a local man asked a teenager less than half his age to meet up for sexual activity.
Shaun Lee Shaffer, 38, is charged with felony sexual battery of a minor by soliciting a 16-year-old girl. According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, investigators say messages from 2020 between Shaffer and the victim were sexual in nature and he asked the girl to meet him for sex, but she said no.
Court documents do not indicate how the Idaho Falls Police Department learned of the alleged messages or how he and the victim knew each other but the documents indicate in graphic detail things Shaffer said he wanted to do with the victim.
Shaffer would apologize to the victim when she said no, saying she just gets him “worked up,” according to court documents.
He was arrested and booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Sunday. Shaffer appeared in court Monday and he was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 25.
Although Shaffer is accused of a crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted, a judge could order Shaffer to spend up to 25 years in prison and or pay a $50,000 fine.