A 33-year-old Paullina man is being held without bail at the Primghar County Jail after being arrested on 24 sexual abuse-related charges involving a child. Fredy Orlando Romero Alvarez was taken into custody about 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, following an investigation that began weeks earlier with a report of inappropriate contact between an adult male and a juvenile.
The case traces back to a Sept. 8 report to the Paullina Police Department describing inappropriate contact between an adult male and a juvenile, according to The N'West Iowa REVIEW. Court documents stated that investigators' review of a cellphone turned up electronic communications and sexually explicit images, and that the juvenile ultimately provided statements to police as the case developed.
Cellphone Evidence at the Center of the Case
Court documents stated there was probable cause to believe Romero Alvarez engaged in prohibited sexual conduct involving a juvenile, and that he solicited sexually explicit images involving a juvenile disrobing. The investigation drew on statements from the juvenile along with recovered electronic communications and images pulled from the phone, the same court filings reported.
The 24 charges against Romero Alvarez span several levels of severity. They include two counts of second-degree sexual abuse, which are Class B felonies, along with one count of lascivious acts involving touching a child's genitals, a Class C felony, and one count of lascivious acts involving permitting or causing a child to fondle, also a Class C felony.
A Long List of Additional Charges
Romero Alvarez also faces three counts of lascivious acts with a child involving solicitation and one count of grooming, all Class D felonies. Rounding out the list are 11 counts of first-offense telephone dissemination of obscene material to a minor and four counts of indecent contact with a child, both aggravated misdemeanors, plus one count of lascivious conduct with a minor involving disrobing, a serious misdemeanor. Iowa's statutory framework for these offenses is laid out in Chapter 709 of the Iowa Code governing sexual abuse and in Chapter 728, which addresses obscenity offenses.
After his arrest, Romero Alvarez was transported to the county jail in Primghar, where he remains held without bail. A court has also issued a no-contact order barring him from contact with the minor involved in the case.
Flight Concerns Cited in Court Filing
A court document reported that Romero Alvarez discussed leaving the area and referenced having another individual pick him up and leave. That same filing stated that the statements and the circumstances of the investigation created concern he might leave the jurisdiction if released. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in O'Brien County District Court in Primghar. Case records can be tracked through Iowa Courts Online.
