Iowa sex offender sentenced to 15 years for online harassment of Callaway County teen

By Mackenzie Oberholtz

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    JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (KOMU) — A Corydon, Iowa, man was sentenced in federal court Monday for attempting to produce child pornography following his online harassment of a Callaway County teenager over five years.

David Jonathon Dodds, 61, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office. Following his incarceration, Dodds will spend 10 years on supervised release.

In September 2022, Dodds pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to produce child pornography. He was extradited to Callaway County in July 2020 for the crime and has been held in federal custody since.

Dodds admitted that he initially contacted the child victim through her Instagram account when she was 13 years old. He disguised himself as a teenage male and continued contacting her through Facebook Messenger and her cell phone until she was 18 years old, according to the release.

Dodds’ behavior escalated to messaging the victim numerous times a day and sending her pornographic images of himself, the release said. Dodds also asked her to send nude photographs of herself and admitted to having similar conversations with several other unidentified underage victims.

The victim reported Dodds’ continued harassment led to significant anxiety and caused her to quit several jobs. She eventually disclosed the harassment to her family, who contacted law enforcement, the release said.

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