Rathdrum man caught in child enticement sting

A Rathdrum man was sentenced to federal prison following an online child enticement sting, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.

Donovan Vinton Nagle, 62, was sentenced to 90 months for two counts of attempted use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor.

According to court records, between June 30 and Aug. 24, 2023, Nagle engaged in explicit online communications with an undercover agent from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, who was posing as the mother of an 11-year-old girl, the release said.

"Nagle expressed sexual interest in the fictional child, sent explicit photographs, and arranged to meet the mother and child for a sexual encounter at a hotel in Coeur d’Alene," the release said. "On the day of the arranged meeting, Nagle drove from his work to the hotel, parked his vehicle, and began walking towards the hotel. Nagle, who was carrying a bag containing candy, ice cream bars, and energy drinks, was then arrested in the parking lot."

Chief District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Nagle be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life following his prison sentence. Nagle pleaded guilty to the charges July 15, 2024.

“Every child deserves to grow up safe, unscarred, in communities free of the threat posed by child predators,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “This sentence helps keep a dangerous predator off the street, and if we are to be effective at protecting our most vulnerable, it will take everlasting vigilance from HSI, our law enforcement partners and the public to identify those that would attempt to exploit children.” 

U.S. Attorney Joshua Hurwit commended the investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and thanked the Idaho State Police for their assistance in apprehending Nagle. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Johnson prosecuted all three cases.