Waterloo man charged with lascivious acts with a child, other charges

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Waterloo man is being held in the Floyd County Jail on several felony charges of sexually related acts with a young teenager or teenagers.

Cortavius Dantez Benford, age 23, is charged with two counts of lascivious acts with a child, Class C felonies, for allegedly touching a 13-year-old girl in her genital area while she was in bed sleeping at a residence in Charles City. The separate incidents are alleged to have occurred in August or September 2019.

He is charged with lascivious acts with a child, a Class D felony, for allegedly grabbing the girl’s arm and attempting to force her to touch his genitals.

He is charged with enticing a minor, a Class D felony, for allegedly enticing or attempting to entice a 14- or 15-year-old to commit an illegal sex act or sexual exploitation in November 2019.

And Benford is charged with exhibition of obscene material to a minor, a serious misdemeanor, for allegedly showing a 15-year-old girl a picture of his penis on his phone, according to documents filed in Floyd County District Court. This incident also allegedly happened in November 2019.

A warrant was issued for Benford’s arrest on Feb. 4, and Benford was arrested on Feb. 18, according to court documents. He is being held on $26,000 cash bond, but his attorney, Richard Tompkins of Mason City, requested a bond hearing to review the bond requirements.

On Thursday an order was filed by District Court Judge Colleen Weiland setting a bond hearing for March 16 in Floyd County District Court. An arraignment has also been set for that day, although frequently a defendant’s attorney will file a written arraignment instead of appearing in court.