Nashua Man Could Serve 12 Years in Prison for Sexual Abusing Minors, Assaulting Firefighters

A north Iowa man could serve over a decade in prison for sexually abusing minors and assaulting a firefighter. 

40-year-old Ethan Vorhes of Nashua was arrested in August 2022, accused of sexually abusing two minor victims, both who were under the age of 15 at the time. Investigators say the alleged incidents occurred on multiple occasions from 2018 to 2022. 

Vorhes was originally charged with 10 counts related to sexual abuse of minors, but in August, pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangerment as a sexually motivated offense, Class D felonies.

Monday m(11.27), in Floyd County District Court, Vorhes was sentenced to prison terms not to exceed five years on each count to be served consecutively, meaning he could serve up to 10 years total behind bars. Vorhes also received special sentencing, thus, upon completion of the sentence imposed, he is committed to the custody of the Iowa Department of Corrections for 10 years, with eligibility for parole. He’ll also register as a sex offender.

Also on Monday, Vorhes pleaded one count of assault on persons in certain occupations from his arrest in May after he was accused of spraying a Marble Rock firefighter with fuel. Vorhes has been sentenced to two years for that conviction, with the sentence to be served consecutively in conjunction with child endangerment prison terms.