Idaho Falls man accused in the rape of a vulnerable adult
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IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man has been charged with the rape of a vulnerable adult after his DNA matched DNA discovered in a sexual assault examination.
Zyeon Eric Kimbro, 23, is charged with one count of rape.
Court documents say on March 24, officers from the Idaho Falls Police Department followed up on a rape allegation that had been made by a vulnerable adult with mental illness living in a group home.
According to the allegation, Kimbro was employed as a caretaker at the group home when he asked the victim if she had ever had sex before and if she wanted to try it. When the victim said “no,” Kimbro allegedly instructed the victim to remove her clothing.
Kimbro allegedly had intercourse with the victim and then told the victim to get dressed.
The court documents note the victim had a history of reporting sexual assault allegations before recanting the allegations. However, a DNA swab on the victim tested positive for male DNA on May 1.
On May 3, detectives interviewed Kimbro. He denied ever having any physical contact with the victim and refused to provide a DNA sample because “there would be no trace of him on [victim’s name].” Detective reportedly told Kimbro the victim had made an allegation against him, to which documents say Kimbro responded, “Well, she’s a mental patient.”
A few days later, police obtained a warrant to collect DNA from Kimbro and samples were sent for testing. Results came back July 16, which indicated that Kimbro was a match to the DNA samples collected from the victim. A warrant was then issued for Kimbro’s arrest.
Kimbro is being represented by a public defender. The Idaho State Public Defender’s office does not comment on pending cases.
He is set to appear in court on August 12 for a preliminary hearing.
Although Kimbro has been accused of a crime, that does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.