“I wouldn’t say the law is preventing us from doing anything,” said Capt. Brent Hilliard, an investigator for the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies can use laws like sexual battery of a minor aged 16 or 17 or lewd conduct with a minor instead, he said. Hilliard said officers are occasionally approached by parents who want to press charges against a man their daughter is in a relationship with and are frustrated to find out they can’t, but it’s not common, he said.

In those cases, officers can seek another resolution, said Staff Sgt. John Wilson, a Twin Falls police investigator.

“More often than not, the parents are people who just want to work out whatever will be best for their child,” he said.

In many cases, he said, counseling or referral to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will help the situation better than an arrest, especially in the case of a pregnancy for the young couple.

“It’s not always that the case is presented for prosecution, and that’s probably a good thing,” Wilson said.

If something is questionable with a situation, officers are certain they’ll be able to bring some sort of criminal charge.