Ammon man indicted for allegedly offering vape products in exchange for teenage nude photos
By Kaitlyn Hart
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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (eastidahonews.com) — A man from Ammon has been indicted after allegedly enticing a teenager to send him naked pictures in exchange for vape products.
Jared Michael Crow, 23, was indicted on Oct. 25 by a grand jury on two counts: coercion and enticement of a minor, and receipt of child pornography.
Crow was originally charged out of Bonneville County with five counts of felony enticing children through the internet, two counts of child sexual battery, one count of child sexual abuse, and two counts of lewd conduct with a child.
In November, a motion to dismiss the case from Bonneville County was filed, and the original charges were dismissed.
The case was then moved to the federal courts for a grand jury to decide if there was probable cause to indict Crow. Grand jury proceedings are private and closed to the public.
“The state and the feds will refer cases back and forth wherever we think justice can be best served,” Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal tells EastIdahoNews.com. “In this particular case, it’s a situation where the federal system is probably in a position to better serve justice … with the kind of penalty system that they have associated with these particular crimes.”
According to the indictment, Crow “did knowingly persuade, induce, entice and coerce any individual who had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in any sexual activity.”
It also states that Crow “did knowingly receive one or more obscene visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.”
According to a news release from Thunder Ridge High School in March, administration and a school resource officer received a report about Crow while he was there to be a guest speaker for a class.
According to court documents, Crow had been invited to talk about the military. Crow told the victims that he was a military veteran.
Deputies interviewed victims and learned that Crow had previously contacted several students through the internet and social media, engaging in sexual conversations.
Crow allegedly asked for nude pictures in exchange for vaping products or alcohol. Documents say victims described being sexually assaulted by Crow in the backseat of his vehicle.
At the time, Bonneville School District 93 released a statement that said, “A review of the Idaho sex offender registry did not provide any records that would prohibit Mr. Crow from visiting schools. … We are committed to ensuring that every student feels safe in our schools and are grateful for the courage of the students who reported their concerns to the school administration.”
In May, documents were filed by the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, stating that the detective in the case received information from Snapchat showing a user who was 14 years old at the time and living in Michigan, spoke with Crow between November 2021 and December 2021.
The minor was allegedly solicited by Crow for nude images and videos of her in exchange for vape products. The minor told police she believed Crow was living in Michigan and had access to bring her the vape products to a local park in her town if she sent him the images and videos.
The Snapchat account showed the conversations with Crow, and it showed the victim sent him videos and pictures in exchange for the vape products. The victim never received the vape products even though she sent Crow the images.
No hearings have been scheduled yet for Crow in Idaho District Court.
Though Crow has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If convicted, Crow could face up to life in prison.
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