Lakeside Man Arrested After Vandalism of BVU Statue, Faces Drug Charges
A Lakeside man faces four felonies after police say he damaged a BVU statue to the tune of $20,000 and made three separate marijuana deliveries in Storm Lake.
Mauricio Alberto Cuevas Zonta, 23, of Lakeside, was arrested on multiple warrants and booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on four felony charges after investigators alleged he intentionally destroyed a statue on the Buena Vista University campus and delivered marijuana in Storm Lake on three separate occasions.
The Buena Vista County Sheriff's Department located Cuevas Zonta at a Lakeside residence around 8:00 p.m. on March 17. He was booked into the jail at 8:44 p.m. that same evening and is being held on a $15,000 bond.
The most serious charge stems from a November 2025 incident on the BVU campus. Investigators allege Cuevas Zonta intentionally damaged a campus statue, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage. That allegation produced a single count of first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony under Iowa Code 716.3(1)(a), which carries the statutory threshold of damage exceeding $10,000.
The drug charges trace a longer timeline. Officers allege that between the summer of 2025 and February 2026, Cuevas Zonta delivered marijuana to another individual in Storm Lake on three separate occasions, with each incident resulting in a felony controlled-substance charge. Each of the three counts is classified as a Class D felony under Iowa Code 124.401(1)(d).
The warrants stemmed from Storm Lake Police Department investigations conducted over the past year. Cuevas Zonta remained in custody at the Buena Vista County Jail as of the time of booking, held on the $15,000 bond covering all four counts.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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