Ammon man sentenced in child enticement case, claims he was doing vigilante work and was framed

IDAHO FALLS — A 27-year-old who was found guilty after a trial was sentenced Wednesday morning after he attempted to entice a child through the internet.

Senior District Judge Alan Stephens sentenced Anthony Calderon of Ammon to five years fixed and seven years indeterminate for a total of 12 years.

Calderon will have to register as a sex offender.

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The mother of the 10-year-old victim gave an impact statement in which she said Calderon hid behind a screen and targeted her daughter, making them feel unsafe.

She said he tried to trick her daughter into sending sexually explicit videos and conversations.

At the beginning of Calderon’s sentencing, his attorney, Jason Gustaves, had filed an objection to the presentence investigation, citing conflicting statements.

According to the court document, the PSI writer wrote that “given (Calderon’s) refusal to take responsibility for his actions … that he is not amenable to sex offender treatment in the community.”

However, Gustaves cited his client’s psychosexual evaluation, which stated Calderon’s treatment could be done within the community.

Gustaves said the writer of the PSI misinterpreted the statement given in the psychosexual examination, leading to a recommendation of incarceration.

He told the judge that his client has been behaving and pursuing his education while in jail. Due to this, and following the recommendation of the psychosexual evaluation, he argued that Calderon was a candidate for probation.

Due to this, Gustaves recommended a sentence of one year in prison, followed by four years of indeterminate imprisonment, with a five-year probationary period.

However, he also recommended that if probation wasn’t appropriate, to retain jurisdiction to allow Calderon to get treatment.

Representing the state, Lead Deputy Attorney General Madison Brooke Allen said Calderon had tested as having a moderate risk of recidivism, or tendency to reoffend.

Looking at the PSI and the psychosexual evaluation, Allen said Calderon admitted, but latter denied, the allegations against him before he went to trial.

She said Calderon’s cycle of denial stemmed and changed his story to, “It wasn’t me, it was someone else. I was out here doing vigilante work.”

“We never heard this vigilante story at trial. We never heard the vigilante story and the psychosexual evaluation. We never heard the story on the jail calls either,” Allen said.

Allen told the court that Calderon also claimed he was cyberbullied and framed by a coworker.

Discussing the PSI, Allen stated that Calderon hasn’t fully taken any responsibility for his actions nor shown any interest in treatment.

“How can he be rehabilitated when he doesn’t even believe he’s committed an offense?” Allen asked. “The state has no confidence that the defendant won’t commit this type of offense again because he doesn’t see anything wrong with what he did.”

Allen said the state agreed with the PSI report and recommended a maximum sentence of 15 years, with the understanding that he’d be eligible for parole after eight years.

Calderon told the court he had taken responsibility from the start but stopped when he saw what came to light during discovery.

“I stand by my statements in the report, and I will comply with the rules of the court order, and I will do any treatment or programming of the court orders,” Calderon said.

Before handing down his sentence, Stephens told Calderon that, although the man has no criminal record, the PSI report concerned him.

“You deny any guilt, (and) you make conflicting stories. As I read the presentence investigation report, it almost read like a novel. (I) never heard of somebody going out on the internet to try to catch predators when you weren’t a law enforcement officer,” Stephens said.

Stephens said while he was not fond of sending people to prison, in Calderon’s case, he didn’t have a choice.

“I think it would be an offense to to the victim if I do otherwise.”

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