Bannock County deputy coroner arrested, charged with abusing 2 women when they were minors

POCATELLO — A Bannock County deputy coroner is facing serious felony allegations after two women contacted law enforcement to report being sexually abused by the man for years.

Jonathan Ray Farnsworth, 54, has been charged with one felony count of rape, one felony count of sexual exploitation of a child, and four felony counts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16.

EastIdahoNews.com reached out to the Bannock County State Public Defenders’ office for comment from Fransworth’s attorney but was told that an application was denied. We will update when he is assigned an attorney.

Accusations from victim No. 1

According to the police booking affidavit, a woman met with officers from the Pocatello Police Department to report the abuse on May 18.

She told the officers that she wanted to discuss the alleged abuse as she now felt she was safe, and to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.

Starting at the beginning, the woman said the abuse began in 1997 when she was 5 years old. Police say she told them that Farnsworth had touched her chest and genital area while they were watching TV.

By the time she was 9, she told officers that the man had moved to Inkom, and that’s where the abuse began to grow.

She recalled Farnsworth using chat rooms with other men discussing sexual relationships with children and inappropriately touching her, the affidavit states.

Another incident she told officers about involved Farnsworth groping her while she was on a couch, the document says. In that instance, she said he was nearly caught by someone else in the home.

The document states that most of the discussion the victim had with officers revolved around an incident at an apartment unit on Washington Street in 2007, when she was 15. The affidavit says Farnsworth made her sleep next to him in his bed and then sexually assaulted her.

The woman told officers a similar scenario had happened twice more, once at that apartment that same summer.

When discussing why she complied with Farnsworth’s alleged requests, she told police Farnsworth would guilt-trip her, leaving her feeling helpless. The affidavit says that he also claimed during discussions with the girl at the time that he was helping her for her future.

On May 26, police say the woman met with Farnsworth while wearing a wire, and the two talked about the incidents of abuse.

The affidavit says that during the discussion, Farnsworth admitted he believes he and the victim had sexual contact multiple times before she was 15 and penetrative sex after she was 15.

Farnsworth told the woman that his actions were inappropriate and wrong and apologized to her, the document states. However, when she discussed other instances of abuse, Farnsworth reportedly stated he did not recall them.

Police say that Farnsworth also discussed with the woman changes in Idaho’s laws that now allow the death penalty for those found guilty of child sex abuse, which scared him. He was also worried about the impact a report of the past abuse would have on his life, the documents say, likely impacting his job and income.

Accusations from victim No. 2

The affidavit also details a second victim, a friend of the first victim who is a year younger than her. She claimed Farnsworth raped her, the document says.

On May 28, the second woman spoke with officers about the rape. She told them that there were two incidents in which she was sexually assaulted by Farnsworth.

According to the affidavit, she said the first incident was in 2007 or 2008, when she was 15 or 16 years old. She told police Fransworth picked her up and took her back to his residence, where he sexually abused her.

The other incident happened a few months after the first, according to the affidavit, when she was staying overnight at the Farnsworth’s residence. The woman told police that at bedtime that night, Farnsworth insisted that she sleep with him in his bed.

After agreeing to do so, the affidavit says the woman — then a teenager — said she remembers waking up to Farnsworth sexually assaulting her. During the alleged assault, she said she told Farnsworth “no” and attempted to move away from him.

Farnsworth is booked into jail

The court documents state that on May 28, Farnsworth met with police officers for an interview. When he was advised of his Miranda rights, police say Farnsworth told them he’d preferred to have an attorney present.

Farnsworth was then arrested and booked into the Power County Jail. The documents state that because Farnsworth was an employee of Bannock County, he was to be housed in Power County.

Farnsworth is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on June 9 before Magistrate Judge Carol Jarman at 1:30 p.m.

His bond was set at $500,000, and a no-contact order was issued for his two accusers. He was also ordered not to have any contact with any minors under the age of 18.

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