Man charged after alleged rape of teenager in Rigby church parking lot

Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic details of a sexual nature. Discretion is advised.

RIGBY – A 39-year-old man was arrested after a teenager said he received nude photos of him and was subsequently raped in a church parking lot.

Ryan Cook was charged with lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16 and solicitation of children via the Internet.

According to court documents, a man filed a report with the Idaho Falls Police Department on March 30, alleging that his 14-year-old stepson received nude photos and videos and was raped by a man named Cook.

The IFPD then met with a Rigby Township Police Officer and turned the case over to them.

According to the stepfather, he searched his stepson’s phone and found “several disturbing images” that were “pornographic in nature.”

The officer spoke to the boy, who said he received a friend request from someone he did not know in December 2023. He assumed it was someone from school, so he accepted the request.

The boy said they started talking to each other and asking “basic questions, including favorite colors and general getting-to-know-you questions.”

According to court documents, Cook eventually began sending the boy nude photos and videos of himself.

The boy participated in a forensic interview at the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center on May 1. He said Cook asked him for “nude pictures” and the two discussed “inappropriate things.”

According to police reports, the two had planned to meet in Rigby, and Cook picked up the boy in his car near Broulim on February 10.

The boy says that when Cook picked him up, the man “wanted to have sexual intercourse” and told him to “keep it a secret” because “people don’t understand these kinds of situations.”

According to the boy, Cook drove her to a church parking lot and raped him. The boy told police he repeatedly asked Cook to stop, but he continued.

While examining the Snapchat messages, police said they found an audio file of Cook responding to the boy with the words “I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did” and then referring to the sexual contact.

Officers also found that Cook allegedly participated in a group chat with several other men. The chat contained “767 different photos and videos of erotic fondling/masturbation, erotic nudity, and eroticism in (Cook’s) Snapchat messages.”

Officers later found another 195 photos and videos with the same content.

A warrant was issued for Cook’s arrest on July 8, and he appeared in court on Friday. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 25. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Although Cook is accused of these crimes, it does not necessarily mean that he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.