Ada County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a 33-year-old Kuna man who they say exposed his genitals to a pre-teenage girl in a local fast food restaurant last month -- and now, detectives are trying to figure out if he has done the same thing to any other children.
Tyler Howell was booked into the Ada County Jail about 6:20 pm Thursday, charged with a felony count of sex abuse of a minor under the age of 16.
Deputies began their investigation on Jan. 26, after being contacted by a third party.
According to an Ada County Sheriff’s news release, the girl and her grandmother were at a fast food restaurant on Chinden Boulevard on Jan. 5. They were eating in the dining area when a man, later identified at Howell, sat down near them and reportedly began inappropriately touching himself when the girl looked at him.
Investigators said Howell would stop when anyone walked by, but would start again.
The girl told her grandmother what happened after they left the restaurant what happened. Deputies say they found out a short time later and eventually developed enough evidence to arrest Howell this week.
The crime of sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 16 is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
Howell has recently worked for a local carpet/duct cleaning service that does business throughout Ada County.
Detectives are concerned there may be more underage victims.
Anyone with information should call Detective Shellie Strolberg at the Ada County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 577-3788 or send an email to SStrolberg@adaweb.net
