57-year-old Newton man charged with sexual exploitation of a minor

Police have arrested a 57-year-old Newton man accused of illegally soliciting photos from a law enforcement officer posing as a minor online.

Newton Police Department issued a press release on June 5 charging Francis Donald Heim Jr. of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor (Class B felony), sex offender registration violation (Class C felony), and eight counts of telephone dissemination of obscene material to a minor (aggravated misdemeanor).

According to the press release, officers in Newton were contacted by the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office regarding the alleged actions of Heim, who has since been taken into custody and transported to Jasper County Jail. He was arrested without incident, police said.

Class B felonies carry a sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment. Class C felonies carry a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment and $10,000 in fines. Aggravated misdemeanors can result in up to two years imprisonment and $6,250 in fines.

According to the Iowa Sex Offender registry, Heim was convicted of indecent contact with a child in January 1986 and indecent exposure in January 2009. Heim is considered a Tier II offender and is required to verify his information every six months with the sheriff’s office.