Alton man charged with third-degree sexual abuse after Storm Lake arrest

An Alton man is facing a Class C felony after Storm Lake police say a June 7 investigation led to his arrest in the 600 block of East Seventh Street. Dany Duarte, 48, was charged with third-degree sexual abuse, booked into the Buena Vista County Jail and held on a $10,000 bond as a no-contact order was issued the same day.

Police said the case moved quickly from complaint to custody. According to the affidavit summary, investigators interviewed Duarte at the Storm Lake Police Department after advising him of his Miranda rights. During that interview, police allege Duarte admitted to placing his hand under the victim’s shorts and touching her for several minutes.

The victim told investigators the contact was not consensual and happened after Duarte entered her bedroom while she was trying to sleep. The records shared in the case do not say what relationship, if any, Duarte had to the victim.

Under Iowa Code section 709.4, third-degree sexual abuse includes a sex act done by force or against the will of the other person, and the offense is classified as a Class C felony. In practical terms, the charge now moves Duarte into the county court system, where the bond amount and no-contact order are immediate safeguards while the case works through later hearings and filings.

The no-contact order means Duarte is barred from contacting the alleged victim while the case is pending. The $10,000 bond is the amount set by the court for release if Duarte seeks to leave jail before the case is resolved. For Buena Vista County residents following the case, those two orders are the clearest indicators of how seriously local authorities are treating the allegation at this stage.

Storm Lake police, who provide 24-hour law-enforcement service in the city, said their department includes a Sexual Assault Response Team and has 20 sworn officers at 401 East Milwaukee Avenue. That structure matters in cases like this, where officers, investigators and prosecutors must document the allegation, protect the complainant and decide whether the facts support a felony charge.

A separate Storm Lake case last month also ended with a third-degree sexual abuse charge, with Joshua Quezada, 31, of Alta, booked into the Buena Vista County Jail and held without bond. Another recent Buena Vista County case was charged as a third-or-subsequent offense and filed as a Class A felony, showing how widely these cases can vary in severity as they move through local courts.