An Ottumwa man is facing multiple felony charges following an undercover investigation conducted by the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a criminal complaint, on March 25 at approximately 12:00 p.m., investigators conducted an online undercover operation in which a detective posed as a 14-year-old female.
Court documents state that investigators began communicating with 45-year-old Jeremy Songer of Ottumwa through the Skout app before the conversation moved to the TextNow messaging application.
Authorities allege that during the conversations, Songer repeatedly requested inappropriate images from someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. Investigators say that after receiving no response, he allegedly used a different phone number while posing as another individual in an attempt to continue the communication.
According to court records, Songer later located and contacted the undercover Facebook account, where investigators allege he again requested inappropriate images. Court documents state that Songer also sent two photographs of himself during the conversation after being asked to verify his identity.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for a Mediacom internet account associated with the first phone number used during the investigation. According to the criminal complaint, information obtained through a subpoena linked the IP address to Songer’s residence.
Songer is being held in the Mahaska County Jail on a $55,000 cash-only bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 1.
Songer has been charged with two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Cause to Engage in an Act, Class B felonies, and one count of Grooming, a Class D felony.
Editors Note: All information was obtained from court documents related to the ongoing investigation.
