Union County man pleads guilty in a child sex abuse case
March 13th, 2025 by Ric Hanson
CRESTON, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — A Union County man could spend up to 15 years in prison after taking a plea deal in a child sex abuse case. 29-year-old Dennis Simmerman, of Creston, plead guilty on February 28th to child endangerment as a registered sex offender and third-degree sexual abuse. He originally faced 12 charges. Court documents say Simmerman sexually abused a 14-year-old girl in his home last July.
As part of the plea, Simmerman must also enter a sex offender treatment program. If he fails the program, he will be required to serve 100% of his sentence. Simmerman will be eligible for parole in three years.
Isabel Pettit is also charged in connection with this case. She is scheduled to be back in court March 21st. Simmerman was previously accused of abusing a child in 2017. Those charges were dropped after the county attorney at the time failed to show up for a plea hearing.
In 2019, Simmerman pleaded guilty to enticing a child. He was sentenced to 10 years but was paroled in 2021. In February of 2022, he violated the sex offender registry and received a two-year probation.