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Iowa City man charged with enticing a minor

May. 20, 2025 10:49 am, Updated: May. 20, 2025 2:49 pm
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An Iowa City man was arrested Sunday night on charges that he attempted to entice a 10-year-old child to have sex with him.
Ronald Snipes, 57, is charged with grooming, harassment and enticing a minor under 13. He approached a 10-year-old girl Sunday outside a homeless shelter in Iowa City and started asking her inappropriate, sexual questions — until she ran away crying to find her mother, according to a criminal complaint.
Another person had been painting the girl’s fingernails and heard the conversation, according to the complaint.
Snipes was arrested Sunday and had his first appearance in court Tuesday. He was being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $15,000 bail. A no-contact order has been filed on behalf of the girl.
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