A Riverton man admitted Monday to raping a teenage girl after giving her a "date rape" drug, in addition to other charges.
Calan Nelson Clifford, 31, pleaded guilty to rape and sexual exploitation of a minor, first-degree felonies, along with distributing or offering a controlled substance, a third-degree felony, in a case filed in April 2022.
In a separate case filed in December, Clifford pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a first-degree felony; human trafficking for sexual exploitation, a second-degree felony; and distributing a controlled substance, a third-degree felony.
As part of a plea deal, multiple charges were dismissed in both cases, including sexual exploitation of a minor, two additional charges of distributing a controlled substance, rape, three charges for having controlled substances with a child, and child abuse involving physical injury.
The rape he admitted to occurred on March 23, 2022, and Clifford said he possessed child pornography beginning a few months before then.
Clifford met a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat and asked her to engage in sexual activity with him, offering her nicotine and THC, according to charging documents in the first case. He was charged with picking up the girl from school multiple times, one time sexually assaulting her and another time giving her GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyrate, which is sometimes referred to as the "date rape drug."
The girl told police she felt loopy, began to lose consciousness and later woke up to discover that her clothing had been removed.
Her mother tracked her cellphone and found the girl in Clifford's truck.
In the plea statement for the case filed in December, Clifford said he recruited or solicited two different victims "for sexual exploitation," and distributed crack cocaine and had sexual intercourse with a 16- or 17-year-old victim.
Clifford picked up a 17-year-old girl and brought her to his home where they smoked marijuana and crack and had sexual intercourse, according to charging documents. Later, her friend brought her to Clifford's home; she stayed for multiple days in both instances.
Charging documents also say the teen "began escorting" on the second visit and was given GHB. The girl explained she would give money from sexual acts with others to Clifford, which he would then use to buy drugs. Clifford was upset after he learned she was 17 and not 18 as she had told him, and allegedly hit her with a crack pipe.
Clifford will be sentenced in both cases on Oct. 23.