Pocatello man sent on rider after pleading guilty to injuring a child

POCATELLO — A man initially charged with statutory rape has been sentenced to a rider.

Said Carrasco, 20, pleaded guilty to a felony charge for injury to a child after reaching a plea deal with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office. In exchange, an additional felony charge for rape of a minor was dismissed, court records show.

At a hearing Monday, Carrasco was sentenced to a rider with an underlying prison sentence of five to 10 years by District Judge Stephen Dunn.

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A rider program is when a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year. There, they undergo different treatment programs, as needed. When the inmate has completed the program, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison for the rest of their sentence or release them on probation.

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Carrasco was arrested in Sept. 2022 after police received reports of a rape. The witness who reported the crime said that Carrasco was watching television with a 15-year-old girl when he forcefully assaulted her.

The victim told police that she met Carrasco through Snapchat. She told officers that she and Carrasco had discussed her being a high school student, so the officers deduced that Carrasco knew the girl was underage.

In addition to the rider, Carrasco has been ordered to pay $845.50 in fees and fines.