Sex crimes can lead to imprisonment as well as inclusion on the Idaho Sex Offender Registry. Since ramifications are so severe, if you are accused of one, you should know what to expect. You also want to immediately get an attorney on your side. Common sex crimes in Idaho, along with the potential jail time, are as follows:
Enticing a Minor Child Over the Internet
Lewd and Lascivious Conduct with a Minor Child
Sexual Abuse of a Minor Child
Rape
Statutory Rape
What to Do If You are Accused
Enticing a Minor Child Over the Internet
Title 18 of the Idaho Statues contains Crimes and Punishments. Within that title is Chapter 15, Children and Vulnerable Adults. Section 18-1509A describes the definition and scope of a potential sentence for “enticing a child through use of the Internet or other communication device.” This crime, a felony, involves an individual who is at least 18 years old trying to coax someone who is either truly or believed by the adult to be 15 years or younger into a sexual act. Specifically, it indicates that a (typically Web-connected) communication device was allegedly used to reach and convince the individual. The maximum sentence for this crime is 15 years.
Lewd and Lascivious Conduct with a Minor Child
This crime is covered under Section 18-1508 of the Idaho Statues, within the Children and Vulnerable Adults Chapter (15) of the Crimes and Punishments Title (18). The law describes the crime and penalties for “lewd conduct with minor child under sixteen.” Any interaction that involves contact between sensitive areas of the body for sexual gratification purposes, or that engages the child in bestiality or sadomasochistic scenarios, can lead to a sentence up to life in prison. It is a felony.
Sexual Abuse of a Minor Child
This crime is also covered within Title 18, Chapter 15, of the Idaho Statues. The specific section (18-1506) that addresses this crime calls it “sexual abuse of a child under the age of sixteen years.” The crime involves someone who is 18 or older performing in a sex act with, having lewd contact with, or making pornographic images of a person 15 years or younger. Causing someone 15 or younger to observe a sex act also falls under this crime.
Rape
Rape is defined in the Idaho Statutes in Section 18-6101. The act is specifically penile penetration of a person that involves a lack of consent on the part of the person penetrated. Situations that fall under rape include ones in which the victim is unable to give legal consent. It also applies to situations in which the individual unsuccessfully resists, as well as to situations in which a victim does not resist because they believe it would be futile or fear physical harm. Similar scenarios that describe lack of consent are covered under the definition of rape too.
Conviction of rape can result in a prison sentence as high as life and with a mandatory minimum of 1 year, as noted in Section 18-6104.
Statutory Rape
Statutory rape can occur in either of two scenarios in Idaho, as noted in Section 18-6101 of the Idaho Statutes. It is considered a crime if the defendant is 18 or older and the victim is 15 or younger, or if the defendant is at least 3 years older than a victim who is 16 or 17.
As with rape, statutory rape carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 1 year, with a maximum of life.
What to Do If You are Accused
If you are accused of a sex crime, you want an attorney on your side, working on your behalf, from day one. At Atkinson Law Office, we chose criminal defense because it is our passion. Schedule a same-day consultation.