Vorhes arrested for alleged assault on firefighter while free on bail for child sex charges

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Nashua man charged with sex crimes involving young children has been arrested again and charged with assault on a firefighter after allegedly spraying the firefighter with fuel.

Ethan Vorhes was free on $70,000 surety bond on 10 charges involving allegations of sexual abuse and lascivious and indecent acts with two young girls between November 2018 and June 2022.

According to documents filed last week in Floyd County District Court, Vorhes was conducting a controlled burn on a cornfield about 2 miles east of Marble Rock that was reported by a passerby as a fire, resulting in the Marble Rock Fire Department being dispatched.

After Marble Rock firefighters arrived at the scene and began to extinguish the fire, Vorhes sprayed a firefighter with fuel, the criminal complaint alleges.

Vorhes was charged with assault on persons in certain occupations, a serious misdemeanor.

At Vorhes’ initial appearance Thursday morning on the new charge he was ordered released under supervision of the Iowa Department of Correctional Services, but about an hour later the Department of Correctional Services filed a pre-trial report of violation, alleging Vorhes violated the terms of his original release by being charged with another crime.

Early Thursday afternoon, District Court Judge DeDra Schroeder issued a bench warrant for $100,000 cash, name only, for Vorhes’ arrest.

As of Monday evening the Floyd County Jail reported Vorhes was not in custody.

Vorhes, age 39, had originally been charged with two counts of sexual abuse in the second degree, Class B felonies; two counts of sexual abuse in the third degree, Class C felonies; two counts of lascivious acts with a child, Class C felonies; two counts of indecent contact with a child, aggravated misdemeanors; one count of indecent exposure, a serious misdemeanor; and one count of disseminating or exhibiting obscene material to a minor, a serious misdemeanor.

Vorhes was arrested Aug. 31 and was initially being held on $57,000 cash only bond. At a bond review hearing in September District Court Judge James Drew ruled that the $57,000 cash bond should remain.

In October, Vorhes, with a new attorney, again requested a bail review hearing, arguing that the Iowa Constitution requires bail to be set to allow a surety bond. At the second bond review hearing, District Court Judge DeDra Schroeder ruled that the bond would remain.

Vorhes’ attorney then filed a motion saying that the constitutional question he raised in his previous motion had not been addressed, and that no ruling had articulated why a cash-only bond was necessary to ensure Vorhes’ future court appearances.

A third district court judge, Judge Chris Foy, held a bond review hearing in November and raised the amount of bond to $70,000, but allowed a surety bond, where a bonding company posts the bond in return for a fee from the defendant. Vorhes posted the surety bond Nov. 30 and was released from custody under the supervision of the Department of Correctional Services.

The original sexual charges case is set to begin trial on June 13.