Twin Falls Man Facing 20 Years in Prison for Enticement of a Minor
BOISE, Idaho (KLIX) A Twin Falls man could spend the next 20 years behind bars after pleading guilty to charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor this week.
According to acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez, Jerry Bob Stewart, age 50, entered a guilty plea after admitting to communicating online with a ten-year-old girl in the summer of 2015. The grandmother of the child discovered the conversations were sexual in nature and reported it to law enforcement in Nevada County, California Sheriff's Office. A detective took over the child's accounts and began talking with Stewart.
During conversations with the detective, Stewart expressed a desire to have sexual contact with the child and sent sexually explicit pictures. The detective, again acting as the girl, told Stewart she was only 13 years old. Eventually in November of 2015, Stewart payed for a bus ticket for the girl to travel to Idaho to engage in sexual contact.
An envelope with money as sent to the girl in the mail and Stewart rented a hotel room in the name of the child in Twin Falls. Stewart was arrested when he went to a Twin Falls bus stop to pick up who he thought was the child. Investigators found a box of condoms, sexual performance pills, and lubricant in his car. Sentencing is set for November.