A 30-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man is being held without bond in the Linn County Jail, accused of sexually abusing a child over a four-year span while he was a teenager living in Cedar Rapids. Jeffrey P. Hawkins Jr. faces six felony counts tied to allegations that span 2011 through 2015 at three separate Cedar Rapids addresses.
According to a Linn County criminal complaint described by The Gazette, Hawkins was between 14 and 18 years old during the time of the alleged abuse, while the female accuser was between 7 and 12 years old. The complaint states Hawkins repeatedly abused the child at three different Cedar Rapids addresses during that period.
The female accuser reported the alleged abuse to Cedar Rapids police, the complaint states.
Iowa’s criminal time limit for first-, second- or third-degree sexual abuse involving a victim younger than 18 now allows charges to be brought at any time after the alleged offense, under Iowa Code section 802.2. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed legislation changing limitation periods for certain crimes involving minors on May 12, 2021. The current rule provides context for older allegations, but it does not establish when this complaint was filed or which version of the law applies to each count.
Charges Carry Decades of Potential Prison Time
Hawkins was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a child under 12, each a class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. He also faces three counts of third-degree sexual abuse of a child aged 12 or 13, each a class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, along with a single count of lascivious acts with a child, also classified as a class C felony.
Taken together, the six counts expose Hawkins to a substantial combined prison term if convicted on all charges, though no trial date, plea, or attorney information has been made public in the reporting reviewed so far.
The allegations place Hawkins below age 18 during part of the period, a distinction that can matter to which court handles the case. Under Iowa’s transfer statute, an adult accused of an offense allegedly committed before turning 18 may ask to have that matter transferred to juvenile court; the county attorney may also seek transfer. A motion must be filed within 10 days of the initial appearance, and a judge decides after a hearing. The provision concerns alleged conduct before age 18, not conduct alleged to have occurred at 18.
Suspect Held Without Bond in Linn County Jail
Hawkins remains in custody without bond at the Linn County Jail as the case moves through the legal system. The reporting that first surfaced the complaint's details, via the same outlet's coverage, has not specified the grounds Linn County used in denying bond, and that detail remains unaddressed in the public record reviewed for this story.
Iowa law generally calls for bailable defendants to be released on personal recognizance or an unsecured bond unless a magistrate finds that release would not reasonably assure the person’s court appearance or would jeopardize another person’s safety. The pretrial-release statute directs the magistrate to impose conditions intended to address those concerns. The fact that Hawkins is held without bond, by itself, does not identify which case-specific findings led to that decision.
The case was first reported by thegazette.com, which also described the allegations in a related dispatch. Further developments in the Linn County case had not been reported as of this writing.
