June 6 – Police arrested a 57-year-old Newton man accused of illegally soliciting photographs from a law enforcement officer posing as a minor online.
The Newton Police Department issued a press release June 5 in which Francis Donald Heim Jr. is charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor (Class B felony), sex offender registration violation (Class C misdemeanor) and eight counts of telephone distribution of obscene material to a minor (aggravated misdemeanor).
According to the news release, officers in Newton were contacted by the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office regarding the alleged actions of Heim, who has since been taken into custody and transported to the Jasper County Jail. He was arrested without incident, police said.
Class B felonies carry a prison sentence of up to 25 years. Class C felonies carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $10,000 fine. Serious violations can result in a prison sentence of up to two years and a $6,250 fine.
Heim was convicted of indecent contact with a child in January 1986 and in January 2009 of indecent exposure, according to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. Heim is considered a Tier II offender and must verify his information with the sheriff’s office every six months.
