Former Jefferson County deputy charged federally for possessing and sending child pornography

RIGBY — A grand jury charged a former Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy for having and sending child pornography.

Caleb Sickinger, 44, was charged by a grand jury in federal court with felony receipt of child pornography.

The documents about the case were originally sealed and were recently made public.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s spokesperson Jennifer Fullmer says Sickinger is a former deputy that was employed at the sheriff’s office for just over nine years, including when these crimes were committed, which, according to court documents, was Dec. 2, 2022, and Sept. 17, 2023.

Fullmer says Sickinger resigned on June 20, 2024.

Sickinger waived the grand jury process and indictment on Tuesday and agreed to be charged in federal court before pleading guilty as part of a plea agreement.

According to the agreement, Sickinger is pleading guilty to the charge in exchange for the government agreeing to “not pursue charges for the crime of production of child pornography” and instead, choosing to “recommend a guideline sentence pursuant to the guideline calculation of U.S. Probation.”

If the judge agrees to give him probation, Sickinger will have an underlying sentence that he will serve if he violates probation.

Court documents say Sickinger will not be in custody while waiting for sentencing and must be subject to certain conditions while on release.

Sickinger’s sentencing is scheduled for July 1.

The case

According to court documents, on Nov. 15, 2023, a man identified as Justin Lindstrom was arrested in Alabama for the crime of coercion and enticement of a minor.

Lindstrom reportedly provided FBI special agents with detailed information that he received images of child pornography via email from a “female friend” who lived in Idaho.

Agents examined Lindstrom’s phone to corroborate the information he provided and found emails between Lindstrom and the woman.

The emails reportedly included “pornographic and non-pornographic images purported to be of (the woman), multiple images of (child pornography) of one minor female, and sexual discussion about the minor female.”

In the emails, the woman refers to the girl in the child pornography as a relative.

Court documents say agents positively identified a person matching the images of the woman as an actual person who lives in Rigby, but she is not identified in court documents. They were also able to identify the girl.

Eventually, agents learned that Sickinger allegedly impersonated the woman by using her name and photos.

Agents say Sickinger’s “impersonation of (the woman) and use of the minor victim’s image initially caused FBI to investigation the family of the woman and minor victim. The FBI did not find evidence of any wrongdoing or participation in the crime by the woman, minor victim, or their family.”

In the emails between Lindstrom and Sickinger, who was claiming to be the woman from Rigby, agents found discussions about Sickinger.

This led agents to him, where they “identified (Sickinger) as a police officer living in Rigby, Idaho.”

Agents contacted and interviewed Sickinger, who reportedly “confessed that he had pretended to be (the woman) and communicated with Lindstrom.”

Sickinger told agents that he and Lindstrom were previously neighbors in Rigby before Lindstrom moved to Alabama.

He also admitted that he “knew (the woman) and minor victim” and that he “obtained non-pornographic images of the minor victim, and sent them to an anonymous individual via the internet for the purpose of digitally altering the images to appear as the minor victim engaging in sexual acts.”

He then admitted to sending the child pornography to Lindstrom.

Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson released a statement Friday afternoon, sending his thoughts to the victim’s and their families.

“Sheriff Anderson and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the families affected by Mr. Sickinger’s actions,” says the statement. “We hope that this guilty plea and the impending sentence will allow the victims and families affected to begin their healing. At the time he was charged, Mr. Sickinger was no longer employed by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. We would like to thank the FBI and the US Attorney General’s Office for their diligence in this case.”

EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s office for comment, and we have not heard back. We will update when we learn more.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story stated that Sickinger was not employed at the sheriff’s office when the crimes occurred. That has been corrected. A statement from Sheriff Anderson has also been added.

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