Sex offender charged with offering alcohol to minor

A registered sex offender was arrested Saturday after he allegedly offered a 7-year-old girl a beer.

According to criminal complaints, 40-year-old Trent A. Vikel, of Tiffin, was in the back seat of an acquaintance's vehicle en route from an Auto Zone in Iowa City to his residence in Tiffin, at 2525 Highway 6 West.

Police said Vikel reached through the front seat opening of the vehicle and held a 12-ounce beer in front of the front seat passenger, a 7-year-old girl,  repeatedly asking the girl, “You want a beer, little girlie?”

The driver of the vehicle, the girl's grandfather, grabbed the beer from Vikel and threw it out the window, police said. Vikel allegedly also offered the the girl a dollar. Vikel's actions were reported to the Johnson County Sheriff's office by the girl's grandfather and mother.

Vikel was arrested at his home and was charged with supplying alcohol to a minor, a serious misdemeanor. He has been released on bond from Johnson County Jail.

Vikel has been registered as a sex offender since 2007 for lascivious acts with a child between the ages of 0 and 13.