Man arrested after allegedly raping 14-year-old at family reunion campout

By Kaitlyn Hart, EastIdahoNews.com

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    IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (eastidahonews.com) — A 34-year-old man was arrested Thursday after a victim reported he raped her at a family reunion camping trip.

Justin Scott Cockrell was charged with felony lewd conduct with a child under 16 and felony rape.

On July 6, a detective with the Idaho Falls Police Department met with a young woman to discuss a crime she had previously reported.

According to court documents, the victim reported she was raped by Cockrell while on a family camping trip in Stanley in 2019.

The victim stated she was 14-years-old and Cockrell was 30-years-old at the time.

After coming home from the camping trip, the victim says Cockrell continued to communicate with her and would pick her up from her home in Blackfoot, drive to Idaho Falls, and have sex with her at parks and in parking lots.

According to the victim, Cockrell eventually began to take the victim to his home, where he lived with his family, to have sex.

On July 26, the victim contacted Cockrell on a recorded call with the detective present to listen. According to police reports, the victim told Cockrell she needed to “understand (Cockrell) and the reasons he had sex with her when she was 14.”

Cockrell reportedly said he didn’t remember having sex with her on the camping trip and blamed his “level of alcohol intoxication.”

Later in the conversation, Cockrell reportedly told the victim it was “dangerous” for her to be asking him about the allegations.

He allegedly stated, “You were a minor at that point. I had a wife and kid to think about. That could put me in prison for a lot of years and that will f*** up the rest of my life.”

Cockrell also told the victim that he talked about her in his sleep, in front of his wife.

When asked what would’ve happened if the victim had gotten pregnant, Cockrell reportedly stated he “would have taken responsibility for the child and moved (the victim) and the child into his home with his wife and other children.”

A warrant was issued for Cockrell’s arrest on Thursday, and he was booked into the Bonneville County Jail with a bond of $50,000. He later posted bail and was released.

A no-contact order was issued for the victim.

Cockrell is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 8. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison and $100,000 in fines and restitution.

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

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated the alleged assault occurred at a camp for cancer victims and their families, based on information from court documents. However, members of the victim’s family tell EastIdahoNews.com that detail is incorrect. The article has been updated accordingly.

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