Boise clinic owner, a former Idaho political candidate, accused of sexual abuse of a minor

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Boise clinic owner, a former Idaho political candidate, accused of ******* abuse of a minor

The owner of a Boise mental health clinic has been accused of repeatedly ********* assaulting a young girl.

Ryan Jenks — who also ran as a Republican for a state representative position in 2014 — was charged last week with several felonies related to the ******* abuse of a minor after prosecutors alleged that he ********* assaulted a 12-year-old girl nearly a decade ago.

Jenks, now 45, was arrested on a $1 million warrant and charged with three felonies: lewd conduct with a child under 16 years old and two counts of child ******* abuse of a minor under 16 years old, court records showed.

The Meridian resident is the owner and CEO of Brighter Future Health, a mental health clinic that provides counseling and other types of care to children, teens and adults in the Treasure Valley, private attorney Jeff Brownson said in court last week.

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reviewed by the Idaho Statesman confirmed Jenks owns the clinic.

Austin Sosynski, a legal intern for the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, alleged during a hearing last week that Jenks assaulted the child on four separate occasions between May and September 2016. Jenks also admitted over a phone call that he knew that he had molested the girl, Sosynski added.

“The danger to the community that this poses is significant,” Sosynski said. “The defendant in this case committed ******* acts on a child which poses a massive threat to the safety of the community — both to children and to parents of other children as well.”

Sosynski asked 4th District Magistrate Judge Cathleen MacGregor Irby to keep Jenks’ bond at $1 million. But Brownson argued for a $75,000 bond.

He said that while the allegations against his client were “serious” the charges were from nearly a decade ago, so his client was not a current danger to society. “For the last 10 years, essentially, he’s been a contributing member of our society,” Brownson added.

He said that Jenks has “exceptionally strong” ties to the community, and that he’s lived in Idaho for over 30 years. Jenks previously worked as a family and criminal defense attorney but no longer practices law since he started Brighter Future Health, Brownson said. Jenks isn’t a treatment provider but he employs about 25 people between the clinic’s Boise and Nampa offices.

“Idaho is this man’s life,” Brownson said. “This is where he is, his family, his businesses. He’s not going anywhere.”

MacGregor Irby agreed with the defense and set bond at $75,000. Jenks posted his bond and bailed out of the Ada County Jail after last week’s hearing, court records showed. His next hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Ada County Courthouse.

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#Boise #clinic #owner #Idaho #political #candidate #accused #******* #abuse #minor

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