Pocatello man charged with enticing a child, posted video alleges he is hiding in bushes
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - After a video surfaced of a 26-year-old Pocatello man allegedly waiting for a 13-year-old girl to have sex, police arrested and charged him for enticing a child.
On Tuesday, the Facebook page "Idaho Against Child Predators" posted a video of a man hiding in bushes on City Creek Trail. About 1,000 people shared the post.
The post alleges the man, later identified as Desmund Borzymowski, agreed to meet with a 13-year-old girl to have sex in the Upper City Creek area on Sunday, July 12.
"We confronted the individual and captured the interaction on video. He was found hiding in a bush, scouting the area for police," the post reads.
The video also includes screen shots from an app called Whisper, showing a a conversation between Borzymowski and the girl making plans to go hiking and "have some public fun."
According to the post, the girl was actually an adult man, who asked to remain anonymous. They say he posed as a child with the intention to entrap child predators. Pocatello Police said in a statement to KIFI/KIDK they had no involvement or knowledge of the man's plans.
The man showed up to City Creek to confront Borzymowski and began videoing the interaction. You can see the video by clicking here.
On Sunday, around 6:30 p.m., the man who shot the video went to Pocatello Police with the video and Whisper messages. Initially, police felt "no crime had been committed since the 13-year-old victim was fictitious and the citizen was acting without authorization from any law enforcement agency," according to PPD.
On Tuesday, the man anonymously posted the video on the Facebook page he created, Idaho Against Child Predators, in order to "raise awareness about online child predators."
Later, more PPD officers reviewed the case and Cpl. Akilah Lacey contacted the man to learn more.
Cpl. Lacey identified the suspect and after interviewing him, Borzymowski admitted he thought he was meeting up with a juvenile female to have sexual relations. Lacey arrested him on Tuesday around 11:49 p.m. for enticing a child with the use of the internet or a communication device.
If convicted, Borzymowski could face up 15 years in prison and/or a fine up to $5,000.
"The Pocatello Police Department readily admits that this situation should have been handled differently and would like to apologize for the initial delay in investigating this incident," PPD said in a statement. "As always, we continue to strive to improve the services we provide to our citizens."
Idaho Against Child Predators seeks to raise awareness about online predators in the area and encourage parents to educate their children of the dangers of talking with people on the internet.
The Pocatello Police Department does not recommend private citizens take this type of action, as the situation can quite easily turn violent and place well intentioned people into extreme danger, along with anyone else in the area.
