The Johnson County Attorney’s Office charged Fernando Gomez Zelaya, 25, of Iowa City, with second-degree sexual abuse involving a child under age 12.
According to a report in The Gazette, Sixth Judicial Associate District Judge Jason Burns addressed pretrial release for Zelaya after the Johnson County Attorney’s Office filed charges in Johnson County District Court. The judge initially granted release with electronic monitoring but rescinded it the same day upon learning federal authorities had an immigration hold on the defendant and instead set a cash-only bond of $10,000 pending trial. The charges relate to allegations of sexual contact with a child between April 1 and May 31, 2019, as detailed in the criminal complaint filed following a forensic interview with the victim.
Johnson County recorded multiple cases of sexual abuse during child welfare assessments conducted by state authorities between 2016 and 2020, with an average of 12.8 incidents per year, according to Prevent Child Abuse Iowa.
Nationally, an estimated 532,228 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States in 2024, according to the National Children’s Alliance. Among those, 9% experienced sexual abuse. One in four girls and one in 13 boys are estimated to experience child sexual abuse before age 18.
The Johnson County Attorney’s Office serves as the chief legal officer for Johnson County and prosecutes criminal cases in district court, including child abuse and sexual offenses. County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith leads the office, according to its website.
