Man arrested after allegedly molesting children in backyard shed

IDAHO FALLS – A 68-year-old man was arrested aft 2 children reported he molested them successful a shed for respective years.

Guy Matthew Howcroft was charged pinch 2 counts of felony lewd behaviour pinch a kid nether 16.

On April 16, a Bonneville County Sheriff’s lawman was asked to travel up connected a study fixed to Idaho Falls Police.

According to constabulary reports, an IFPD detective had already begun an investigation, but nan lawsuit was moved to nan sheriff’s agency because nan incident’s location had antecedently been nether Bonneville County’s jurisdiction erstwhile nan alleged crimes occurred. The area has since been annexed into Idaho Falls.

The IFPD serviceman writes successful his study that successful March 2021, a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old told their parents they had been being sexually abused by Howcroft for “several years.”

A forensic question and reply was scheduled for nan children successful 2021 but was not completed arsenic they were “too uncomfortable to talk astir nan incident.”

The serviceman contacted nan family again connected March 28, 2024, and asked if they had discussed nan incident since it was disclosed successful 2021. The family said yes, and a 2nd forensic question and reply was scheduled.

During nan question and reply connected April 4, some children said they were molested by Howcroft aggregate times betwixt June 2017 and August 2019. Court documents don’t explicate really Howcroft knew nan children.

According to nan children, Howcroft erstwhile took them to a store, bought them “pink see-through skirts,” and told them to deterioration thing underneath them.

He past allegedly told nan children to inquire their parents if they could walk nan nighttime pinch him successful a “shed that was located connected nan spot and outfitted pinch a bed.” The children said Howcroft would sexually battle them successful nan shed.

According to 1 of nan children, they would effort to garbage to do intersexual things pinch him.

The different kid told interviewers that they remembered “running retired of nan shed astatine nighttime and banging connected nan doorway to their home, which was locked and they had to beryllium fto successful by a family member.”

A resident astatine nan location told constabulary Howcroft was “always willing successful children” and was “frequently asking if they could walk nan nighttime pinch him.”

The resident besides told constabulary Howcroft had a shed connected nan spot and spent “a ample magnitude of clip successful nan shed and had nan children successful nan shed pinch him astatine times arsenic good arsenic his bedroom.”

Court documents opportunity Howcroft is simply a registered activity offender pursuing 2 convictions for intersexual maltreatment of a child, 1 successful 1984 and 1 successful 1996.

On April 16, nan lawman requested a warrant for Howcroft. He was arrested connected May 8 and booked into nan Bonneville County Jail connected a enslaved of $40,000.

He is expected to look for a preliminary proceeding connected May 24. If convicted, he could look up to life successful prison.

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