Man sentenced for abusing and violently sexually assaulting a victim

IDAHO FALLS – A Louisiana man was sentenced Thursday for violently attacking and sexually assaulting another man in Idaho Falls in October.

Nicholas Torrey, 28, was sentenced to between two and eight years at the Idaho State Penitentiary.

In October, he was charged with felony battery, felony domestic violence, felony malicious injury to property and felony attempted strangulation.

After originally pleading not guilty, Torrey accepted a plea agreement in April, where he agreed to plead guilty to felony battery and felony domestic violence if the felony charges of attempted strangulation and injury to property were dropped.

Idaho Falls police were performing a welfare check after a man became concerned about his friend, court documents show. The man told police that his friend was in an abusive relationship and was trying to end it, according to court documents.

The last text the man received from his friend simply stated, "Call 911."

When officers made contact with the victim, they discovered Torrey, also at the home.

Police say the victim, "appeared to have been crying, was visibly shaken, his left eye socket was dark purple in color and the entire left side of his face was red and swollen."

Court documents say the victim had "red imprints on the left side of his neck that appeared to be four fingers."

The victim told police he had been trying to end his relationship with Torrey because he could "no longer handle (Torrey's) anger issues."

The victim told officers he had been beaten by Torrey a few days before, and he had been trying to keep him away from his home. However, Torrey continued to threaten the victim with "physical harm, rape, and other things to keep him from ending their relationship," court documents say.

The victim told police that earlier in the day, Torrey had "manipulated his way into the residence," and broke two iPads, a television, ripped the ceiling fan down, and punched holes through the drywall and bedroom doors. It was then that the victim reached out to his friend for help, and to asked him to, "Call 911."

According to the victim, after he texted his friend, Torrey took the phone and broke it.

Court documents detail a disturbing and violent chain of events that occurred afterward. It eventually led to Torrey forcing the victim to perform sex acts on him.

Officers also observed "several fresh bruises to (the victim's) torso, arms and back."

After interviewing the victim, Torrey was arrested and booked into the Bonneville County Jail.

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