CALDWELL, Idaho (CBS 2) — A Caldwell man has been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison after he downloaded child porn and later inappropriately touched a 5-year-old girl.
The Canyon County Prosecutor's Office says Edward A. Stephens, 34, was arrested in March 2018 after he downloaded hundreds of videos and pictures of young children.
Stephens admitted to detectives that he looked at pornographic images of young children using his smartphone and had been viewing child pornography for several years. He was subsequently taken into custody and booked into the Canyon County Jail.
Several hours after being booked into jail, Stephens was confronted by a woman on a recorded phone call about inappropriately touching a 5-year-old girl. The victim told investigators that he inappropriately touched him numerous times over several months.
“The defendant in this case had hundreds of images and videos of child pornography and openly admitted that he has been viewing them for years,” said Deputy Prosecutor Erica Kallin. “Then once he was in jail, investigators determined he had also been sexually abusing a young girl. This man was preying on the most vulnerable people in our community. There is no doubt he belongs behind bars.”
Stephens will have to register as a sex offender.
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