Solon man pleads to lesser charges in sex abuse of child, woman

IOWA CITY — A 50-year-old Solon man has pleaded guilty to amended charges in the sexual abuse of a child and a woman.

Robert L. Egesdal, 50, was scheduled to go on trial Friday in Johnson County District Court but entered an written Alford plea to indecent contact with a child in October 2013 through November 2014, and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse of a woman in June 2019, both aggravated misdemeanors, according to the plea agreement.

In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit to the offense but admits the prosecution has enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The prosecution will ask a judge to sentence Egesdal to two years on each charge, running them consecutively, for a total of four years in prison.

Egesdal, according to the plea, will ask a judge for a deferred sentence — meaning if he has no violations during a probation period his conviction could be expunged.

He also will be required to be listed on the sex offender registry for life and serve a special parole of 10 years, the plea states.

The sentencing judge also will impose five-year, no-contact orders against Egesdal for the woman and the child.

The other four charges of third-degree sexual abuse, involving the same victims, will be dismissed at sentencing, according to the plea.

The criminal complaints accused Egesdal of sexually abusing the child, starting at the age of 12, on multiple occasions from October 2013 through and November 2017. He was accused of sexually abusing the woman from October 2017 through June 2019.

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