Man arrested in Virginia on charges of child sex abuse in Marion arrives in Iowa

A man arrested in Virginia last month after police say he sexually abused a 14-year-old in Marion has been brought back to Linn County and had his first appearance in court Friday.

Jonathan Walton, 22, is charged with six counts of third-degree sexual abuse and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. A warrant was issued for his arrest in March after police say a 14-year-old girl reported in a forensic interview that Walton engaged in several sexual acts with her at a residence in Marion.

The interview was arranged after two other juvenile girls informed the police about the sexual abuse, according to a criminal complaint.

Police seized Walton’s phone and found multiple sexual videos and pictures of the child, the complaint states.

U.S. Marshals on Dec. 3 arrested Walton in Rice, Virginia, where officials said he fled after the reports of abuse. He is now being held in the Linn County Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.

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