Former Central DeWitt teacher charged with sexually abusing a former student

DEWITT, Iowa (KWQC) - A former Central DeWitt High School teacher has been arrested on multiple charges after police say he sexually abused a former student.

Cody D. LaKose, 37, is charged with sexual expectation of a minor - cause to engage in act, a Class C felony; sexual exploitation by school employees, a Class D felony; and three counts of sexual exploitation by school employees, an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to Dewitt Community Schools Superintendent Dan Peterson, LaKose was a teacher and coach at the school district from August 2010 to December 2018, when he resigned in the middle of the school year.

According to an arrest affidavit, the Dewitt Police Department started an investigation in March 2022 after a previous student reported LaKose had groomed her and sexually abused her while she was a student at Central DeWitt High School and he was a teacher.

“The victim feared LaKose could be targeting and grooming students in his current teaching position,” police said in the affidavit.

Police said the abuse started in the spring of 2017 and that the abuse happened in his office on school grounds.

She told police that she and LaKose texted and talked in person, and he received “nudes” prior to her turning 18. According to the affidavit, LaKose also sent sexually explicit pictures to her in June.

Peterson said in a statement on the district’s website that “We thoroughly investigate any information we receive regarding inappropriate acts, and go above and beyond to try to discover more. Anything we discovered regarding LaKose was referred to law enforcement at the time. LaKose’s personnel information was subpoenaed by law enforcement. I have been following the situation and requesting updates periodically for the past four years. Thank goodness they recently had a break in the case allowing them to proceed.”

Court records show a judge issued a warrant for LaKose on Monday and he was arrested Tuesday. He is being held in the Clinton County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

LaKose has been employed at the Regina Catholic Education Center in Iowa City since August 2020 as a high school science teacher.

Glenn Plummer, principal of the junior/senior high school, said LaKose has been placed on administrative leave.

In a statement sent to parents, Plummer wrote “Current information does not indicate illegal activity or an unsafe environment on the Regina campus.

“If parents/guardians have additional information they would like to share, they are encouraged to contact the Iowa City Police Department.”

Copyright 2023 KWQC. All rights reserved.