(Stuart, IA) – Stuart Police Chief David Reha reports that at around 9:25-p.m. on May 11th, 2026, a Stuart Police Department officer responded to a 911 call in the 500 block of S. Park Street in Stuart, where a male reported being the victim of domestic abuse and had a visible bodily injury to his arm. During the investigation, officers identified the suspect as 27-year-old Kaitlyn Hess, of Stuart.
During the investigation, the victim provided a sworn written statement alleging domestic abuse and provided video evidence that corroborated the allegations being reported, including alleged assaults, multiple incidents of alleged criminal mischief, allegedly urinating on the victims driveway and a vehicle allegedly being driven directly toward the victim at a high rate of speed while the victim was standing in his yard. After law enforcement left the residence, Hess allegedly continued to repeatedly contact the victim by telephone for several hours and later returned to the victim’s residence.
Iowa law requires officers to make an arrest in domestic abuse cases when there is probable cause and evidence of injury or certain aggravating circumstances. Hess was later located in the 600 block of N. Fremont Street, taken into custody, and transported to the Adair County Jail. Public records further indicate Hess is currently on probation related to a prior domestic abuse assault case from earlier in 2026.
The department later learned a technical error occurred involving the electronic filing of the criminal complaint. After the department became aware of the issue, corrective action was taken and the complaint was successfully filed charging Hess with Domestic Abuse Assault – Second Offense, an aggravated misdemeanor. Hess later appeared before the court for an initial appearance and was served with a No Contact Order.
The filing of criminal charges is based upon probable cause and is not a determination of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law
