(Spencer)– A Spencer man has been arrested for allegedly having sexual contact with a teenage girl.
47-year-old John Jay Phelps has been charged with four counts of third-degree sexual abuse. Police allege Phelps met the girl…who’s from Pennsylvania…in an internet chat room.
Police say the girl traveled to Spencer November 17th and stayed at his residence…where the two allegedly had sexual contact.
Police were notified when a citizen observed Phelps and the girl acting in sexually suggestive ways in a public setting. A search warrant was executed on Phelps’ residence and some computer equipment was seized. Phelps was arrested and charged a short time later.
Even though the sexual contact is believed to have been consensual, Iowa law prohibits such acts with 14 and 15-year-olds when the age difference between the people involved is greater than four years.
The girl was placed in a foster home and has since been taken back to Pennsylvania by a family member.
Police say it’s likely the case will be turned over to federal authorities because it crosses state lines.
