A final suspect has been charged in connection with a sex assault in October of last year. Authorities working on the Iowa sex crimes case have already charged four suspects in the alleged sexual abuse of a 18-year-old woman. The 23-year-old man was arrested in Chicago and charged with second-degree sexual abuse.
Police say the man was part of a group of five who purportedly held the woman against her will and sexually assaulted her. Two of the other men arrested were 20 years old, while the others were 18 and 19. In addition to facing second-degree sexual abuse charges, these four are also charged with invasion of privacy.
Those accused of a sex crime and found innocent, or if the charges are dismissed, might be able to have the records related to the accusations removed, or expunged. If DNA was used as evidence for a charge that was later thrown out or for which the accused was acquitted, the person can ask that those records be destroyed too. As well, those who have been convicted of a sex crime and who have served their sentences may be able to have their names removed from a sex offender registry.
The advice of an experienced Iowa defense attorney can be helpful in fighting charges of sex crimes. As with many sex crimes, sexual assault charges are usually based on the testimony of the accuser alone and there may be little or no actual physical evidence. The punishment for convictions in these types of cases are severe, so those accused must aggressively fight the charges.
