BY MAX SILVERSON
The Star-News
Valley County Sheriff’s Office Detective Steve Gorski investigates major crimes with more than half of his cases involving troubling sex crimes.
Gorski, a detective with over 30 years experience, says about 60% of his case load stems from sex crimes like rape, lewd conduct with minors, sexual battery, child pornography, and sextortion cases on social media.
“When I was hired as a detective, I explained to Sheriff (Kevin) Copperi that I would do anything he needed, but I preferred to just investigate serious crimes,” Gorski said. “Running a police department is important work, but I much prefer the impact I can make for individual victims as a detective.”
Currently, Gorski is investigating cases that involve the rape of a young child, a teen sexually assaulted by an older man, and a middle school student raped by a man in his 20s.
Gorski has also investigated several child pornography cases in recent years in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office of Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, or ICAC.
These cases are flagged automatically any time an explicit image of a child is downloaded. The evidence is then automatically sent by internet service providers, social media platforms, search engines and other sources to the ICAC to investigate.
“We have had half a dozen cases referred to us by the ICAC unit,” Gorski said.
One suspect was recently sent to prison, and another is awaiting trial. A third suspect was arrested in the country of Jordan because of Gorski’s investigation.
“The majority of the material we see, including here in Valley County, involves the rape and abuse of children from 0 to 6 years old,” he said. “It is truly horrific, which is why so many resources are dedicated to preventing it.”
Child pornography cases can be complex and take a long time to track down the perpetrators, but Gorski says the work is worthwhile.
“The United States is the largest consumer of child pornography. If we reduce the demand, we reduce the number of children that are victimized,” he said.
“Not every person in possession of child pornography molests children, but studies have shown that almost every child molester started by viewing images of children being abused,” he said.
As a detective, Gorski can investigate and arrest offenders, but prosecuting and convicting cases is at Valley County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Naugle’s discretion.
“I have experience working in areas where getting cases prosecuted is, to say the least, frustrating,” Gorski said. “In busier areas, resources are limited, and prosecutions are often prioritized for only those cases that are ‘slam dunks.’”
“Unfortunately, victims are the losers with this mentality,” he said.
That is not the case with Naugle, who Gorski credited for filing cases that are solid, but will require extra work.
“Some of the more complex drug, sex, and homicide cases require a massive amount of work, both on the law enforcement and the prosecution side, but it is work worth doing, so we do it,” Naugle said.
Naugle was elected in 2020 after working as a deputy prosecutor in Ada County for 15 years. He has been successful in prosecuting several cases.
From 2016 to 2020, there were seven jury trials in Valley County, none of which ended in a conviction of the original charge.
Since Naugle took over, there have been 12 jury trials, with 10 guilty verdicts, one not-guilty verdict and one hung jury that later ended in a guilty plea.
“When I arrived in this office four years ago there were seven felony files in the file cabinet,” Naugle said. “Now there are over 40.”
Other Crimes
Meanwhile, Gorski says Valley County is “quite safe, with very low levels of violent crime,” burglaries and break-ins.
Idaho ranks 41st out of 50 states in overall violent crime, according to the latest available data from the FBI. Valley County crime rates are slightly above the state average.
Drug crimes are also prevalent in Idaho and Valley County, but the numbers are still low compared to neighboring states.
“While we have a significant problem in Valley County, it is important to put it in perspective. Idaho’s challenges with drugs are still the envy of almost every state in the western United States,” Gorski said.
Investigations by Gorski, his colleagues at the VCSO and partnering agencies at the McCall Police and Idaho State Police have led to several drug related arrests and convictions.
Last year, Donnelly resident Monty White was sentenced to twelve years in prison after detectives arrested him for trafficking in marijuana and methamphetamine near Donnelly Elementary school.
More recently, McCall resident Jon McGarrigan was sentenced to ten years in prison after a months-long Sheriff’s investigation found he was transporting large amounts methamphetamine from Washington sell in Valley County.
Gorski came to the Valley County Sheriff’s Office with nearly 30 years of police experience, including work as a narcotics detective, bomb technician, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and acting chief of police.
He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and pre-law from California Polytechnic State University and a master’s degree in history and national security studies from American Military University.
