Cedar Rapids man charged with sex abuse

A Cedar Rapids man was arrested Friday on charges that he sexually abused a 7-year-old girl nineteen years ago.

Michael Scruggs, 60, is charged with second-degree sexual abuse. According to a criminal complaint, a 26-year-old woman reported to the Cedar Rapids Police Department that Scruggs sexually abused her when she was 7.

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Scruggs admitted to sexually abusing the girl in a letter he gave an Anamosa Police Officer in 2020, but the victim declined to press charges at the time, according to the complaint.

A warrant was issued for Scruggs’ arrest on Dec. 17, and he was booked into the Linn County Jail on Friday. A no contact order has been issued on behalf of the victim. He had his first appearance in court on Saturday. He is being held in the jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

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