Idaho Falls woman expected to plead guilty to making and sending child pornography of 2-year-old
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS – A local woman is expected to plead guilty in federal court after being accused of making and distributing child pornography of a 2-year-old.
Rexanna Johnston was indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 26 for two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor child, two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to a plea agreement filed in the case on April 23, Johnston has agreed to plead guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child. She will also admit to an asset forfeiture allegation.
In exchange, the prosecution has agreed to dismiss all other counts and recommend a sentence of 360 months, or 30 years, in prison.
Johnston was scheduled to appear for a jury trial on Monday, which has now been vacated.
Two men were also indicted with Johnson for similar allegations in the same case.
Nicholas Glenn Baker, 37, of Twin Falls, was indicted on one count of sexual exploitation of a minor child, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.
Baker accepted a plea agreement on March 14, where he agreed to plead guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and admit to an asset forfeiture allegation.
In exchange, the prosecution agreed to drop all other counts and “recommend a sentence within the guideline range,” according to the plea agreement.
Baker changed his plea to guilty on March 28, and his sentencing has been scheduled for June 24.
Dale John Hensel, 53, of Rigby, was indicted on one count of receipt of child pornography. He has continued to plead not guilty and is scheduled for a jury trial on July 29.
Background
According to the indictment, Johnston “coerce(d) ‘Minor Victim,’ a minor born in 2022, to engage in sexually explicit conduct,” while Baker and Hensel “unlawfully and knowingly” received child pornography from Johnston.
Police reports show on July 17, an officer with the Idaho Falls Police Department was notified by the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children that someone in Idaho Falls had uploaded a video of child sexual abuse material to the internet.
The video allegedly showed an adult raping a young child who was between the ages of 3 and 5 years old.
On Aug. 1, the officer got a search warrant for a cloud account identified as belonging to Johnston.
On the account, the officer found videos taken on Snapchat of a 2-year-old in sexual positions, according to court documents.
Through investigation, officers were able to determine that the child’s mother was incarcerated in Idaho from July 21 to Aug. 2, and that the child was being taken care of by Johnston during at least part of this time.
Because of this information, officers got a search warrant for Johnston’s home.
Johnston and her fiancé were interviewed by police, where they discovered the child was now in the care of another relative at a different residence.
Johnston refused to answer any questions without a lawyer present.