On July 17, 2025, Dustin Schakel, 45, from Oskaloosa, exchanged text messages with the victim after they had an argument, according to court records.
After the victim stopped responding, Schakel sent an additional nine messages that alarmed her, prompting feelings of fear. The couple share a child and have been divorced for a year, and while a no contact order had been in effect, it expired in July 2024. A new order was established on September 3, 2025.
She reported that on October 1, court documents state that Schakel had texted her, stating he would be hiding in her house and intended to expose himself to her. Additionally, he was using fake numbers to contact her, as well as his own phone number.
On October 4, 2025, the Oskaloosa Police Department received a call from the victim reporting a violation of this recent no contact order, noting she had already received four messages from Schakel that day. The day before, on October 3, she contacted a law office to report that Schakel was at her residence, claiming he was outside her back door while she cooked. When she threatened to call the police, he fled on foot. Upon the officers’ arrival, they could not locate him, but the victim stated that he continued messaging her throughout the day.
Later that day, officers found Schakel walking two blocks away from the victim’s home in the 400 block of C ave West. He denied being at her residence, asserting that he and the victim often communicated. Schakel was arrested and now faces multiple charges, including violation of a protective order for stalking (Class C felony), violation of a no contact/protective order (simple misdemeanor), and contempt for violating the no contact order. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 15, 2025, at 11:45 AM, with a cash-only bond set at $10,000.
Schakel is being detained in the Mahaska County Jail.
Edited for Corrections
