Former school bus assistant charged with lewd conduct for alleged sexual contact with 8-year-old girl

Craig Colton Anderson | Bannock County Jail
POCATELLO — A man police say touched an 8-year-old girl sexually on multiple occasions faces multiple felony charges.
Craig Colton Anderson, 30, has been charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16, court records show.
Pocatello police received a call from a woman reporting a sex crime around 9 p.m. May 6, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The caller said she saw Anderson put his hands down the pants of an 8-year-old girl.
Officers spoke with the woman and another witness, who reported seeing something similar the previous day.
The victim was taken to Portneuf Medical Center for a sexual assault examination. During the exam, the girl told a nurse Anderson touched her, while pointing toward her genitalia, the affidavit says.
Officers found Anderson at a sporting goods store on Yellowstone Avenue and placed him under arrest.
Anderson agreed to answer questions, allegedly admitting to mistakenly putting his hands in the girl’s pants and underwear. But, he said, it was only his fingertips and told officers he never touched the girl’s genitalia.
He was taken to Bannock County Jail and booked. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond the same day.
Prior to his arrest, Anderson was employed by Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 — his Facebook page says he was a bus assistant. According to PCSD25 spokeswoman Courtney Fisher, Anderson was employed with the district from Aug. 17, 2022 until May 7, 2024.
The incidences of assault did not occur on school district property, according to court documents.
Though Anderson has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
If he is found guilty, Anderson would face up to life in prison.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Scott Axline on May 21.
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Source: eastidahonews.com