Charles City man will plead guilty to child sex crime

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Charles City man who had been charged with four counts of sexual abuse in the third degree has agreed to plead guilty to one of those charges in turn for the other three being dismissed.

According to documents filed in Floyd County District Court, Ronald Dean Stewart, age 59, of Charles City, was arrested in September 2021 and charged with having sexually touched a girl while she was age 14 and 15, between January 2020 and August 2021.

As part of the plea agreement, the Floyd County Attorney’s Office will recommend a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, fully suspended; three to five years probation with the Iowa Department of Correctional Services; $1,375 fine plus 15% surcharge, fully suspended; lifetime registry on the Iowa Sexual Offender Registry; sexual offender treatment as recommended by the Department of Correctional Services; no contact with the victim for five years; and other charges and fees.

Also as part of the plea, Stewart would be subject to Iowa’s Special Sentence for sex crimes, which would put him under the supervision of the Department of Correctional Services for the rest of his life.

A judge is not required to follow the sentencing recommendations of a plea agreement.

Stewart’s motion to plead guilty, filed in Floyd County District Court last Thursday, asks that the plea be accepted as an Alford plea, which means Stewart does not admit guilt, but agrees that there is enough evidence for the likelihood that a jury would find him guilty. The criminal impact is the same as a guilty plea.

Judge DeDra Schroeder ordered a plea hearing to be held Feb. 28 in Floyd County District Court.