Jury finds Waterville man guilty of charges of domestic, sexual assault and sex offender registry violations

A jury of Allamakee County residents did not take long to render guilty verdicts against Felty Ervin Yoder, age 22, of Waterville on a total of 10 counts of criminal activity in regard to incidents that had taken place over the past two years, mainly against his wife. The jury, which was selected for the trial Wednesday, December 14 in Allamakee County District Court, heard testimony in regard to the overall encompassing case and returned guilty verdicts Friday afternoon, December 16 on four counts of Sexual Abuse Assault in the Third Degree (Class C Felony), five counts of Iowa Sex Offender Registry Violations as a Second Offense (Class D Felony), and one count of Domestic Abuse Assault as a Third Offense (Serious Misdemeanor).

Court documents explain that the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office initially contacted the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office July 25 of this year regarding an assault that reportedly took place in Allamakee County July 21 where Yoder reportedly struck his wife in the face with an open hand at their residence in Waterville. After Allamakee County officials were able to make contact with Yoder’s wife, court documents say she provided a full statement on the July 21 incident, noting that the blow caused her to “see stars before losing consciousness for a bit,” and was reportedly in response to her husband finding out she was smoking cigarettes.

Also during the statement process, court documents say Yoder’s wife explained to officials that since December 2020 he reportedly forced her to have sexual intercourse against her will on multiple occasions. Further investigation into that allegation, including applying for several search warrants, resulted in the discovery of email and several social media accounts set up by Yoder that were all in violation of Iowa Sex Offender Registry regulations because they had not been registered with the proper authorities within five days of being set up.

An arrest warrant had previously been issued against Yoder June 2, 2020 for a first offense Sex Offender Registry Violation after he failed to notify the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office of his change in residency. Yoder had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of Invasion of Privacy-Nudity in conjunction with a September 2019 Domestic Abuse case.

He was arrested by Fayette County authorities in late September 2019 after he had been accused of placing a trail camera in a residential bathroom without the knowledge of occupants of the residence.

He was placed on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry following his guilty plea in that incident. The discovery of the email and social media accounts in the most recent investigation resulted in the five counts of Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registry Requirements that he was found guilty of by the Allamakee County jury in last week’s trial.
Court documents outline that Yoder will now await sentencing in the case, and will remain in the custody of the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office until then, being held without bond. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for February 13 in the new year at 10 a.m. in the Allamakee County Courthouse in Waukon.

According to court documents, Yoder has the right to question the validity of the verdicts with a motion for a new trial or in arrest of judgment. He must file such a motion within 45 days of the date of his December 16 guilty verdict.