Waterloo man gets deferred sentence on Floyd County sex charges

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Waterloo man charged with several felony crimes of sexually related acts with a young teenager or teenagers has pleaded guilty to two of the charges and received a sentence of probation, with the possibility of having the charges and convictions removed from his record.

Cortavius Dantez Benford, age 23, was charged in Floyd County District Court with two counts of lascivious acts with a child, Class C felonies; lascivious acts with a child, a Class D felony; enticing a minor, a Class D felony; and exhibition of obscene material to a minor, a serious misdemeanor; for incidents that allegedly occurred from August to November 2019. At least some of the acts allegedly occurred in Charles City.

Benford pleaded guilty to lascivious acts with a child, a Class C felony, and to dissemination and exhibition of obscene materials to a minor, a serious misdemeanor, in a plea agreement that dropped the other three charges.

Benford was sentenced in Floyd County District Court on Monday.

On the count of lascivious acts with a child, Benford was sentenced to five years probation; $1,000 civil penalty plus 35% surcharge, fully suspended; and ordered to register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry; as well as pay other fees and court costs.

On the count of dissemination and exhibition of obscene materials to a minor, Judge DeDra Schroeder sentenced Benford to five years probation; a $315 civil penalty plus 35% surcharge, fully suspended; register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry; and other fees and court costs.

He was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim in an amount to be filed within 30 days, and a no-contact order was issued.

Schroeder ordered that Benford was eligible for a deferred judgment, as he had requested. That means if Benford meets the conditions of his probation, the charges and the convictions as well as references to the deferred sentence will be removed from the public record.