(UPDATED & clarified) – A man is being held in the Cass County Jail following an investigation into his alleged contact with someone he thought was a 15-year-old female. 50-year-old Michael Lee Herteen was arrested Wednesday, April 15th, by the Windsor Heights Police Department. He faces a Class-D felony charge of Grooming.
According to a criminal complaint, Atlantic Police were conducting online undercover operations in late February, with an undercover officer posing as a teenage female, interacting with Herteen in a social media post. Herteen allegedly was told by the undercover officer that they were 15-years old, but her Herteen continued to converse with them. He allegedly tried to coerce the officer into performing sexual acts and sent explicit photos of himself.
The criminal complaint states that during the investigation, officers discovered that Herteen lived in the Des Moines area and “is a manager at a major retail company that is known to employ many juveniles under the age of 18.” Records show a request for an arrest warrant was then filed on April 13.
Herteen has been transferred to the Cass County Jail and is being held on a $50,000 cash bond. (Polk County Jail booking photo of Michael L. Herteen)
