POCATELLO, Idaho — A local man, Noah Parker Rupe, has been indicted on five new felony charges related to child pornography following his recent conviction on similar offenses. The 21-year-old faces four counts of possession of child pornography and one count of child sexual exploitation.
These new charges are linked to a previous case in 2023, where Rupe was found guilty after a one-day jury trial of two felony counts of possessing child porn. Recent allegations indicate that he had explicit images of four girls, with the youngest being just 13 years old. Investigators also allege that Rupe sexually exploited the 13-year-old by coercing her to produce explicit content.
Interestingly, three of the victims cited in this latest case were already mentioned in Rupe’s initial indictment, but charges concerning them were dismissed as the case evolved. According to documents filed in this new case, a report to the Pocatello Police Department noted that Rupe, who was 18 at the time, was involved with a friend of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly shared nude imagery with him.
Though one friend of the 14-year-old refuted the claims, another witness reported seeing nude photos sent to Rupe. Subsequent searches yielded significant evidence; a search warrant for Rupe’s Snapchat account resulted in the discovery of 2.8 gigabytes of data, which included 2,985 files consisting of messages, audio, and various media items.
Among the retrieved files, 31 were identified as nude images and videos linked to nine different accounts, including three owned by minors. Investigators uncovered a complex web of communication involving 37 Snapchat accounts connecting Rupe to multiple girls from Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and even Washington state.
Further inquiry revealed that a 16-year-old girl had sent explicit images to Rupe under pressure, despite asking him to stop after he shared an image of his genitalia. If found guilty of the new charges, Rupe could face up to 70 years in prison.
Rupe is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 11 at 1:30 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Aaron Thompson. It is important to note that being charged with a crime does not imply guilt; legally, every individual is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
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