Idaho Falls man charged with multiple sex offenses, targeted kids online

The victim in the recent report told a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office deputy she decided to come forward after seeing reports of McKelvey’s arrest in the earlier rape case.

The affidavit states McKelvey offered the 14-year-old victim a ride home in his car. During the ride, he reportedly pulled into a parking lot and began touching the victim inappropriately.

The victim said she told McKelvey to stop. She said he first ignored her, then told her, “something would happen with the gun,” if she didn’t do as he told her. The victim told the deputy she never saw an actual gun during the drive or when McKelvey raped her.

The victim told deputies she has since been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease.

The affidavit states the victim also had sex with McKelvey in 2021, telling the deputy these incidents were not forced. Under Idaho law minors cannot consent to sex with adults unless they are less than three years apart in age, and sexual contact is a crime on the part of the adult.

When questioned by police, McKelvey denied knowing the victim or that he raped her. The victim’s father later showed investigators a video recording of McKelvey and the victim dancing, indicating he did know her.

A search warrant was issued for McKelvey’s social media accounts in relation to the sex offenses filed against him. Court records state Idaho Falls Police reviewed SnapChat messages between McKelvey and multiple underage girls.

McKelvey reportedly presented himself as 17 years old in some of these messages.

In one exchange presented in a probable cause affidavit, McKelvey asks a girl, who told him she was 14, about her sexual experience. He then reportedly started asking her to meet with him, and continued to insist even after the girl told him she was not comfortable doing so.

Police later learned the girl had met with McKelvey. She said he had touched her inappropriately. She said she believed McKelvey was 17 at the time.

When confronted with the victim’s statement and the SnapChat messages, McKelvey reportedly told police he had “no clue” what they were talking about.

Police also found messages with another girl in which McKelvey discussed exchanging nude photographs after she told him she was 14 years old.

McKelvey was charged with rape of a minor, punishable with a minimum of one year in prison and up to a life sentence, child sexual abuse, punishable with up to 25 years in prison, and enticing a child through the internet, punishable with up to 15 years in prison. He was also charged with misdemeanor child enticement.

The charges are spread across three cases. His bond between the three cases was set at $250,000.

A preliminary hearing for the rape case is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 2, with a second preliminary hearing for the other cases set for 1 p.m. Dec. 6. No-contact orders were issued between McKelvey and each of the victims.