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Oelwein, Iowa mayor accused of sexual abuse

The mayor of Oelwein, Iowa was arrested at his home and charged with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
Jason Manus photo from Fayette County Jail

The mayor of Oelwein, Iowa was arrested at his home and charged with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse.

Two girls reported being sexually abused in July and August of 2010 by 36-year-old Jason J. Manus.

Manus was elected in November 2013, in a close race against longtime Oelwein mayor Larry Murphy.  Manus was sworn in to office in January 2014.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office investigated the allegations for about a month before making the arrest.  Oelwein Police Chief Jeremy Logan said his office was not part of the investigation, and that he only found out about the arrest after it happened, according to KCRG.

Police did not specify how the girls, who were 14 and nine years old at the time of the alleged crimes, knew Manus.

The statute of limitations prevented some additional charges from being filed, according to a statement from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.   In Iowa, a minor victim has 10 years after reaching their eighteenth birthday to report a sexual abuse.

Manus was arrested Monday morning, August 11, 2014.  He was held in the Fayette County Jail in lieu of $125,000 cash bond.

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