NEWTON, Iowa — A Montezuma man has been charged with grooming after allegedly having multiple sexual conversations with whom he believed to be a 15-year-old on social media.
The Newton Police Department announced Wednesday that it arrested and charged Curtis Sean Gauley, 57, of Montezuma with grooming and enticing a minor under 16 for a sexual purpose.
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According to a criminal complaint, an NPD officer posed as a 15-year-old on a social media site and was contacted by Gauley on July 19. During that conversation, the complaint states that Gauley detailed his sexual history, but when the officer revealed that Gauley was speaking to a 15-year-old, he ended the conversation.
A couple of days later, on July 22, the complaint said that Gauley reached out again to the officer posing as the teen. The second conversation went into the following day, with Gauley sending multiple messages detailing what sexual acts he wanted to do with the teen, according to a complaint.
On Wednesday, the NPD, along with the Mid Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force and the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at Gauley’s home, where Gauley was taken into custody. He is currently being held at the Jasper County Jail.
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