Idaho AG: Idaho Falls teacher charged with child sexual exploitation following ICAC investigation
BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — A 34-year-old Idaho Falls school teacher is facing multiple felony charges after an investigation by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children unit. Benjamin Simms was arrested on Thursday, March 12, following allegations that he recorded videos of himself molesting a 4-year-old child.
Simms has been charged with 1 count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and 1 count of Lewd Conduct with a Child Under 16.
At the time of his arrest, Simms was a K-3 music teacher at American Heritage Charter School in Idaho Falls. Local News 8 has reached out to American Heritage for comment and will provide more details as we receive a response.
However, investigators and Idaho AG Raúl Labrador emphasize that the charges are not connected to his work at the school, and they've found no evidence that any students were victimized.
“Last week, investigators in my ICAC Unit arrested a man employed with a charter school in Idaho Falls. At this time, we have found no evidence of any student victims,” said Attorney General Labrador. “I'm grateful to our law enforcement partners across eastern Idaho who helped with this arrest and share our commitment to keeping Idaho families safe."
Investigation Background
The investigation began in early January after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a "cybertip" from Snapchat. The social media platform flagged an account for uploading 15 files containing suspected child pornography.
According to court documents, five videos involved an adult man molesting a child later identified as 4-years-old.
Investigators traced the IP addresses used by the account to a local medical facility and Simms’ residence in Shelley, Idaho. Detectives then used social media and law enforcement databases to identify Simms as the man in the illicit videos.
On March 12, ICAC investigators, working in partnership with several local law enforcement agencies, obtained a search warrant for Simms' home and took him into custody. While in custody, Simms admitted to investigators that he had created lewd videos of the child, according to court documents.
Simms was subsequently charged and booked into the Bingham County Jail. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 26, 2026, at 8:30 AM.
Parents, educators, and law enforcement officials can find more information and helpful resources at the ICAC website, ICACIdaho.org.
