A Cresco man is facing 10 charges related to sexual abuse of at least five minor victims who were part of his Boy Scouts troop.
The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) says 73-year-old James Hughes was arrested at his residence in Cresco on Wednesday by Cresco Police officers and DCI agents on several warrants related to a historical sex abuse investigation.
According to the DCI media release, a report was filed with the Cresco Police Department (CPD) on March 18, 2021, regarding historical sexual abuse that had occurred between Hughes and a juvenile Boy Scout troop member over the course of several years. After this initial report, the CPD requested the Iowa DCI to assist in the investigation in which agents also learned of several other instances of historical sexual abuse involving Hughes and other juvenile Boy Scouts who had been in his troop. Some instances spanned more than a decade.
As the investigation progressed, the Howard County Attorney’s Office requested that the Office of the Attorney General of Iowa assist with the investigation and prosecution. As a result, Hughes has been charged with four counts of third-degree sexual abuse, all Class C felonies, and six counts of lascivious conduct with a minor, all serious misdemeanors. Authorities say the alleged sexual abuse involved five separate victims.
Hughes is currently being held at the Howard County Jail on a $46,000 cash/surety bond.
