BYU-I student shared sexual videos of young girls with multiple people, police say
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REXBURG – A 23-year-old Brigham Young University student was arrested after police say he was distributing videos of young girls in sexual situations.
William Scott Messer is charged with two counts of felony distribution of child exploitative material.
According to police reports, a Rexburg police officer received a cybertip on Feb. 11 regarding a Snapchat video allegedly uploaded by someone using an IP address associated with an apartment building in Rexburg.
The video reportedly showed a young girl between 10 and 12 years old in a sexual situation.
Police traced the Snapchat account back to Messer and learned that he had allegedly sent the video to multiple people. Later, police found a second video on the account, depicting a young girl between the ages of 11 and 12 engaged in a sexual situation.
According to the report, police contacted BYU-Idaho security, which confirmed that Messer was a student and provided his address. EastIdahoNews.com also reached out to the BYU-Idaho Public Affairs Director, Brett Crandall, for further confirmation that Messer was a student, and we have not heard back. We will update if we learn more information.
On May 20, police initiated a traffic stop on Messer as he was driving near the intersection of 5th West and Mikan Drive. He was detained and transported to the Rexburg Police Department for an interview, while detectives began searching his home.
It is unclear whether anything illegal was found in the home.
During the interview, police say Messer admitted to “saving, sharing, probably masturbating, and deleting child pornography.” Messer was arrested and booked into the Madison County Jail on a $50,000 bond. It was later reduced to $25,000, and Messer paid bail and was released on May 21.
According to court records, Messer is allowed to use electronic devices while out on bail, but will be monitored by pre-trial services. He is also not allowed to be in contact with anyone under 18 unless he is being supervised.
Messer is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 27. If convicted, he could face up to 60 years in prison.
According to court filings, Messer is being represented by a public defender in Madison County but has not yet been assigned a specific attorney. We have reached out to District Public Defender Jordan Crane for comment, and we will update if we hear back.
Though Messer has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.