A 40-year-old Creston man is facing multiple charges after police say he threatened a woman with a knife, punched her in the face and torso, and struck near a child under age 2 that the woman was holding at the time. Luis A. Cabrera Cabrera was taken into custody Wednesday on charges including harassment in the first degree, child endangerment involving substantial risk, interference with official acts, domestic abuse assault displaying a dangerous weapon, and fifth-degree criminal mischief.
According to the Creston News Advertiser, Creston police received a report of a domestic disturbance at approximately 10:06 p.m. in the 100 block of Oak Street. Officers initially found no one at the address, but returned after being told the parties involved had come back. Once there, police determined that Cabrera Cabrera had threatened the victim with a knife and told her he was going to kill her, according to police reports cited by the paper.
Police say Cabrera Cabrera punched the victim in the face and torso, and officers later observed a split lip along with redness on her face and torso, per the same account. The victim was holding a child under 2 years old during the assault and the threats. Officers say Cabrera Cabrera punched around the child several times while attempting to strike the victim.
What the Child Endangerment Charge Could Hinge On
The child endangerment count against Cabrera Cabrera falls under Iowa Code § 726.6, which makes it an aggravated misdemeanor to knowingly act in a manner that creates a substantial risk to a child's physical or emotional health, carrying up to two years in prison and fines as high as $8,540, according to the Iowa.gov code. Whether prosecutors can meet that bar may depend on a legal threshold set by the Iowa Supreme Court. In *State v. Cole* (2024), the court ruled that proving child endangerment requires showing a “substantial risk” to a child's safety, a standard meant to separate genuine hazards from ordinary parental risks, as outlined by the Feld Law Firm.
The domestic abuse assault charge tied to the alleged knife threat is also classified as an aggravated misdemeanor. Under Iowa Code § 708.2A, a first offense of domestic abuse assault involving the display or use of a dangerous weapon carries up to two years in prison and fines ranging from $855 to $8,540. The first-degree harassment charge, meanwhile, is rooted in Iowa Code § 708.7, which applies when someone threatens to commit a forcible felony — such as murder — with intent to intimidate, according to the Branstad & Olson Law Office. That same aggravated-misdemeanor tier carries up to two years behind bars and a fine of up to $8,540.
Lesser Charges and Automatic Court Protections
The fifth-degree criminal mischief charge against Cabrera Cabrera is a lesser offense by comparison. Iowa Code § 716.6 covers intentional property damage valued at $300 or less, classifying it as a simple misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and fines between $105 and $855, per Iowa Defenders. Any misdemeanor conviction in the case would also come with a mandatory 15% criminal surcharge tacked onto court costs and fines, under state law.
Iowa magistrates are required by Iowa Code § 664A.3 to enter a temporary criminal no-contact order at a defendant's initial appearance when probable cause and safety risks exist in domestic abuse or harassment cases, according to information published by Linn County, Iowa's government website. Such orders bar communication with the victim and can extend to minor children while the case is pending. Separately, firearm penalties may apply to individuals subject to qualifying domestic violence protective orders.
Union County sits within Iowa's 5th Judicial District. All of the allegations against Cabrera Cabrera remain unproven until adjudicated.
Second Major Domestic Case This Week in Creston
Second Major Domestic Case This Week in Creston The arrest came two calendar days before Hoodline reported that another Creston resident, 28-year-old Kane Farlow, was charged with 15 criminal counts — including domestic abuse assault involving strangulation and harassment — following a separate, multi-day domestic violence investigation in Union County. The back-to-back cases point to a concentrated stretch of complex domestic disturbance investigations for Creston police this week.
