Pocatello man charged after allegedly sharing nude images with 37 underage girls - East Idaho News
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Pocatello man charged after allegedly sharing nude images with 37 underage girls

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POCATELLO — A man police say requested and received nude images from dozens of underage girls in multiple cities and states could face more than 200 years in prison if found guilty.

Noah Parker Rupe, 19, has been charged with three felony counts of enticing a child over the internet, four felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child and six felony counts of possession of sexually exploitative material, court records show.

Nov. 17

On Nov. 17, Pocatello police received a call reporting the exchange of child pornography around 10 a.m., according to an affidavit of probable cause. The caller told police that a 14-year-old friend was sharing nude photos with Rupe, who was 18 at the time.

Officers followed up after the Thanksgiving break.

They spoke with the girl who had allegedly been sharing nude images with Rupe. She denied doing so but a witness told officers that she was also aware of nude photos being exchanged between the girl and Rupe, the affidavit says.

With two witnesses describing the same illegal acts, officers requested and obtained a search warrant for Rupe’s Snapchat account.

Dec. 16

A month later, on Dec. 16, officers received 2.8 gigabytes of data from Rupe’s Snapchat account in response to the search warrant provided to the company.

According to the affidavit, police spent nearly two weeks reviewing the 2,985 items — audio recordings, videos, photos and text conversation — included in the cache.

Among the items collected as evidence, officers found 31 nude images and videos received from nine different accounts.

Officers were able to identify at least three of the people in the videos and images as minors. Other messages received by Rupe’s account included images of partially nude girls claiming to be underage – some as young as 13.

In the affidavit, officers noted a concern regarding what they believed to be missing portions of conversations. Officers asked Snapchat representatives if there were any additional exchanges that were missing and were informed that everything they had access to had been included.

Officers also noted that Rupe had requested phone numbers from some of the girls for the purpose of sharing video calls, leading them to believe additional evidence may be stored on Rupe’s phone.

In total, officers discovered exchanges with 37 different Snapchat accounts which belonged to girls they believed to be underage.

Jan. 3

Officers spoke with Rupe and requested his phone on Jan. 3. They informed him that the phone was to be used as evidence in an investigation regarding an allegation that he was storing child pornography on the phone.

Rupe told the officer that his younger brother had been using the cell phone to communicate with a girl, the affidavit says. Rupe said that the two had been flirting and the girl sent nude pictures to Rupe’s brother using Rupe’s phone.

Officers told Rupe they would look into his claim, but he turn over his phone as well. The affidavit says that Rupe said he would comply but refused to sign a consent to search form and provide his passcode.

Finally, Rupe said he would give the officers his phone, but asked if he could retrieve a number from the phone first.

While the officer looked on, Rupe unlocked his phone and began going through several applications, the affidavit says. Officers “redirected” Rupe to his contact list “several times.” Then, while in his contact list, the affidavit says it appeared to the officers that Rupe was attempting to erase contacts from the phone.

Officers told Rupe they believed he was attempting to conceal information, and took the phone.

After obtaining a warrant to have the phone examined, officers turned the phone over to a forensic investigator.

Officers also sent a search warrant to Snapchat for the 37 accounts in question.

Due to the amount of data requested, officers were not able to start reviewing until Jan 16.

One account belonged to a girl who appeared to be “middle school-aged,” according to the affidavit. That girl, as officers noted, had not sent nude images to Rupe, but had sent images of herself in underwear. She had also sent nude images to accounts that did not belong to Rupe.

Jan. 23

Officers identified all 37 accounts which sent nude images to Rupe.

They spoke with one of the girls — who was known to officers — and she said that sent them after Rupe made numerous requests. She said she “felt pressure” into doing it, the affidavit says. She said that Rupe sent her a nude image of herself, and she asked him to stop.

Many of the girls involved were from the Pocatello area. One girl was identified as a 15-year-old from Idaho Falls. Another was a 17-year-old girl from Roy, Washington.

Feb. 23

Officers spoke with one of the girls with a parent present. The girl admitted to sending photos and videos to Rupe, adding that she only did so after he asked repeatedly. She told officers that Rupe had sent around 25 images and eight to 10 videos of himself nude to her.

A different girl described Rupe “nagging” her for photos until she eventually sent them. That girl said she also received nude images from Rupe.

Officers also contacted Nampa Police regarding another girl involved.

Two other underage girls officers found to have corresponded with Rupe spoke with officers. They said that though they had not sent photos or videos to Rupe, he had made several requests.

Charges against Rupe were filed on April 14 and he was served with a court summons on April 18.

Though Rupe has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

If he is found guilty, Rupe could face up to 225 years in prison.

He is scheduled to appear in court before Magistrate Judge Thomas Clark for a preliminary hearing on June 6.

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