Twin Falls man sentenced to prison for receiving child pornography from Idaho Falls woman

Editor’s Note: This story contains details of a sexual nature that some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.

TWIN FALLS — A Twin Falls man has been sentenced to prison in a federal case after pleading guilty to complicity in child pornography.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced 37-year-old Nicholas Glenn Baker to 24 years in federal prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Baker was charged in October with sexual exploitation of a minor, receiving child pornography and possessing child pornography.

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On March 14, he agreed to a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and admitted to forfeiture of assets.

According to court documents, detectives with the Idaho Falls Police Department and the Idaho Crimes Against Children Task Force launched an investigation on July 17, 2023, after receiving a report that child pornography had been uploaded to an online storage account.

The video allegedly shows an adult raping a young child who was between 3 and 5 years old.

Officers also found videos on Snapchat of a 2-year-old girl in sexual positions.

Detectives determined the accounts belonged to Rexanna Marie Johnston, 32, of Idaho Falls.

They obtained and executed a search warrant of Johnston’s home and electronic devices, where they discovered that videos had been taken of a young child in her care.

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Agents determined that the mother was in custody in Idaho from July 21 to August 2 and that the child was in Johnston’s care during part of that time.

Detectives found online chats between Johnston and Baker discussing their sexual interests in children. Johnston also sent Baker child pornography images she had taken of the child in her care.

Baker asked Johnston to take and send him more child pornography images of the child, and authorities say she did so.

Johnston pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation on May 22 and is awaiting sentencing, scheduled for November 19.

When detectives arrested Baker, he admitted that he knew the child Johnston was holding was a real child. He had asked Johnston to show him and send him child pornographic images of the child. Baker had received those images.

“Our job, as HSI special agents or in conjunction with our many partnerships, is to protect those most vulnerable. This 288-month sentence helps accomplish that,” Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer said in the release. “Every image of child exploitation represents a life that has been changed by a child abuser, and as a community we can be ever more vigilant in reducing the amount of these images that are distributed online.”

Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered that Baker serve a lifetime of probation following his prison sentence. Baker will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.

Dale John Hensel, 53, of Rigby, is another defendant in the case. Hensel also alleges he “unlawfully and knowingly” received child pornography from Johnston.

He was charged with receiving child pornography and is scheduled to appear before a jury on October 28.