Iowa City man charged with sexual exploitation of a minor

An Iowa City man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he attempted to meet a 16-year-old to engage in sex.

Travis Schuchert, 22, is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, enticing a minor under 16, dissemination of obscene material to minor and two counts of sex offender registration violation.

  Buy Photo

According to a criminal complaint, Schuchert began communicating with a girl he believed to be under the age of 16 sometime between Saturday and Wednesday. He said he wanted to engage in sex acts with her and sent her nude photos. He also requested similar photos from her and arranged to meet with her.

Police found during the investigation that Schuchert had two Snapchat accounts that he had not reported to the sex offender registry, which he is on after a sexual-assault conviction from 2023 in Keokuk County.

In the previous case, Schuchert had sexual relations with a 15-year-old and was charged with third-degree sexual abuse, according to a criminal complaint from 2023. He pleaded guilty in that case in April 2024 and was sentenced to five years of probation with a suspended 10-year prison sentence — which would go into effect if he broke the terms of his probation.

Schuchert had his first appearance on the new charges Thursday and was being held in the Johnson County Jail on $50,000 bail.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com