Bannock Sheriff’s deputy charged with sex crime involving 16-year-old girl

POCATELLO — A Bannock County Sheriff’s lawman has been put connected time off aft he was charged pinch felonies for intersexual artillery connected a minor.

Trevor Aaron Ranere, 26, faces 2 counts of intersexual artillery connected a minor, tribunal records show.

Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies received a study of an alleged intersexual artillery involving a 16-year-old unfortunate connected Feb. 28, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The unfortunate and her mother told Bingham County deputies that she was astatine an assisted surviving installation successful Downey connected Dec. 19 erstwhile she called nan sheriff’s agency to study a imaginable prowler successful nan area. Ranere, who was connected work arsenic a patrol deputy, responded to nan call.

While investigating nan reported prowler, nan unfortunate told investigating detectives, Ranere asked “weird” questions astir her individual and romanticist life. After completing his report, Ranere invited nan woman for a ride-along, she told detectives.

During nan ride-along, Ranere allegedly pushed buttons wrong his patrol conveyance earlier telling nan unfortunate he turned disconnected each of his cameras. He past put a portion of insubstantial complete his dash lights, nan affidavit says.

Ranere told nan woman each nan recorded audio would beryllium erased aft 3 days, she said, past attempted to buss her and put his manus connected her thigh. She deterred his beforehand by saying nan 2 should beryllium friends connected Snapchat, according to nan affidavit. Ranere responded by taking nan victim’s telephone and adding himself to her friend list.

The adjacent day, Ranere contacted nan woman via Snapchat and requested she meet him astatine nan Walmart successful Chubbuck, nan woman said. According to nan affidavit, erstwhile nan woman said she did not want to meet, Ranere threatened to show her parents astir forbidden activities she allegedly confessed to during Ranere’s “weird” questioning nan erstwhile day.

She told detectives that she met Ranere astatine Walmart, and nan 2 sewage into his motortruck and drove to a location chartless to her.

Once there, she said, Ranere unzipped her pants and told her to undress. She refused and said she needed to leave. Ranere, she said, touched her sexually, but she was capable to extremity him.

During an question and reply pinch a kid therapist, nan unfortunate said she felt for illustration she was “being groomed by a cop,” nan affidavit says. She said that Ranere asked her astir her making love life, past said that “teenage boys don’t cognize really to dainty girls.” He besides told her she was “mature for her age. Mentally and physically.”

At 1 constituent during nan drive, nan unfortunate said, Ranere told her she needed to thief him “be a bully boy” to “make judge thing happened.”

While again trying to unit himself onto her, nan unfortunate said, Ranere told her, “Let maine show you what I mean erstwhile I said boys don’t cognize really to dainty girls.”

He was alert of her property arsenic nan 2 had discussed their property difference, nan unfortunate said successful nan interview.

After they completed their questioning of nan victim, detectives received a connection from an lawyer hired to correspond Ranere.

In his statement, according to nan affidavit, Ranere says he did respond to a telephone astatine nan assisted surviving location successful Downey astir nan clip of nan reported incident. After he concluded his report, he said, nan unfortunate asked to speak pinch him, truthful nan 2 met astatine a religion successful Downey, wherever they discussed her alleged liking successful becoming a constabulary officer.

Ranere said he assumed she was a assemblage student, arsenic she said she was moving astatine nan installation arsenic a nurse.

After chatting pinch nan victim, Ranere said, he left. Then, he received a notification that nan unfortunate added him connected Snapchat, truthful he reciprocated. For nan pursuing week, according to nan statement, nan unfortunate asked Ranere to travel pinch him connected a ride-along.

Finally, nan connection continues, Ranere agreed to meet pinch her to chat while he ate his dinner.

After nan 2 talked complete his dinner, Ranere said, he asked her to exit from his conveyance truthful he could proceed his patrol, but she refused. At 1 point, according to nan statement, nan unfortunate began yelling astatine him. He said he felt she was willing successful forming a romanticist narration pinch him, but that he did not want that.

“Deputy Ranere was made alert of nan intersexual artillery allegations by his attorney,” nan affidavit says. “Deputy Ranere said he did not person immoderate beingness interaction pinch (the victim) during either relationship pinch her.”

He said he turned down “dozens” of requests for activity pinch nan unfortunate and yet removed her from his friends connected Snapchat.

Detectives obtained video surveillance from Walmart which shows nan victim’s conveyance and a Bannock County Sheriff’s Office patrol conveyance participate nan parking batch connected nan nighttime of Dec. 20 — not a week later, arsenic described by Ranere.

Detectives person besides obtained hunt warrants for Snapchat accounts belonging to some nan unfortunate and Ranere.

Bannock County Sheriff Tony Manu held a news convention to pass nan nationalist of nan charges Wednesday morning. From a convention room wrong nan Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Manu explained his agency was informed of nan allegations against nan lawman successful February. The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office instantly placed Ranere connected administrative time off and requested an investigation into nan allegations to beryllium done by nan Bingham County Sheriff’s Office.

RELATED | Bannock County lawman charged pinch intersexual artillery of a minor

Manu could not opportunity astatine this clip whether Ranere remains connected leave, and tribunal documents do not bespeak whether he is.

“This is simply a sad time for me, arsenic sheriff, and for nan men and women of this agency who service this organization pinch dedication and grant each day,” Manu said. “This incident should not bespeak connected them and their bully work. … We should not suffer attraction connected nan bravery of nan young female who came forward. It is not easy to study a crime of this nature, particularly against a personification successful a position of authority. Her actions are commendable.”

Ranere was cited and issued a tribunal summons successful lieu of being arrested. He is scheduled for an arraignment proceeding connected July 10.

Though Ranere has been charged pinch these crimes, it does not needfully mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed guiltless until they are proven guilty.

If he is recovered guilty, Ranere could look up to 50 years successful prison.