POCATELLO — Local officers, not those associated with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrested a Pocatello man at the Idaho State University Early Learning Center parking lot Wednesday on an outstanding warrant related to sex crime charges, police say.

Pablo Rodriguez Bautista, 54, has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child and one count of lewd conduct, all felonies, for allegedly molesting two children — ages 8 and 12 — in 2021, according to police and court records the Idaho State Journal obtained Thursday.

“The Street Crimes Unit had been made aware of a subject with an active warrant for lewd and lascivious conduct in the area of Idaho State University’s Early Learning Center parking lot,” Pocatello police said in a Wednesday evening news release. “The Street Crimes Unit made contact with the subject, who was positively identified and arrested on the active warrant.”

No other agencies, including Immigration Control and Enforcement, or ICE, were present or involved in the arrest.

Pocatello Police Lt. Josh Hancock told the Journal Thursday afternoon that the advisory message was distributed immediately after Bautista’s arrest out of an abundance of caution because onlookers were concerned the Street Crimes Unit officers — who don’t typically wear the standard Pocatello police patrol uniforms — were actually ICE agents.

“(Onlookers) thought it was an ICE incident, and they had a lot of concerns about that, so we needed to stop that rumor immediately and say, ’No, ICE had nothing to do with this arrest’ before it could escalate,” Hancock said. “(Bautista) was parked in front of the Early Learning Center and we did not want him going into that facility knowing the charges that we were arresting him on.”

Hancock said given the appearance of the officers involved he understands why the onlookers were concerned.

“Our Street Crimes Unit does not wear a normal uniform that our daily patrol officers wear, and so I can see where a citizen is looking on, and going, ‘Hey, this doesn’t look normal. What is this?’ That’s why we wanted to put that advisory out, so we could say, ‘no, no, no, no, ICE is not here.’”

Following his arrest, Bautista was booked into the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello.

His arrest follows a Pocatello police investigation launched in 2025 after the alleged abuse was reported to law enforcement, court records show. He is accused of inappropriate contact with both children on separate occasions in October 2021.

According to court records, there was a language barrier between Bautista and at least one victim, as he spoke only Spanish and the child spoke only English. Court records say when Bautista attempted to kiss one victim he also offered her $10 in exchange for her silence about the inappropriate touching.

After the allegations were reported to law enforcement, both children participated in forensic interviews at a local child advocacy center where they disclosed the alleged abuse, police said. Court records say one child reported the incidents to family members shortly after they occurred, leading to Bautista being removed from the Pocatello residence where the alleged abuse took place.

Investigators corroborated the timeline of events through witness statements and medical records, according to court records.

Bautista appeared before 6th District Magistrate Judge Scott E. Axline for an arraignment hearing Thursday where his bond was set at $200,000 and was ordered not to have any contact with either of the victims. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Feb. 10 for a preliminary hearing where an interpreter has been requested to provide translation services, court records show.

Prosecutors will attempt to present sufficient evidence to elevate the case from magistrate to district court for trial.

Each of the sexual abuse of a child charges Bautista faces carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 if he is convicted. The felony lewd conduct charge is punishable by up to life in prison and a $50,000 fine.