An Oskaloosa man faces multiple charges for allegedly sending his ex-girlfriend numerous unsolicited text messages and threatening to release explicit photographs of her.
Ethan McGuire, 23, has been charged with extortion, a Class D felony, and third-degree harassment, a simple misdemeanor.
The Oskaloosa Police Department says a woman went to the law center on September 28th and reported to an officer that she was being harassed by McGuire, her ex-boyfriend. Court records say McGuire was messaging the victim “nonstop” from several different numbers and from multiple social media accounts.
Additionally, the victim alleges McGuire threatened to call her mother and employer and release nude photos of her. According to authorities, the victim stated that McGuire was pressuring her to have sex with him with the promise that he would leave her alone but there would be consequences if she refused.
On September 29th, police interviewed McGuire and officials say he admitted to messaging the victim countless times via cell phone numbers and social media accounts. However, he denied threatening to release compromising photos of the victim, stating he only threatened the victim that he will expose the photos if he didn’t get what he wanted.
The officer in the criminal complaint referred to a similar case in 2022 in which McGuire faced similar charges. Specifically, court records say McGuire was charged with extortion, stalking, nine counts of first-degree harassment, and third-degree harassment. McGuire accepted a plea deal in this case and pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree harassment. The other charges were dismissed.
McGuire was arrested in connection to the 2026 case. He was transported to the Mahaska County Jail and is being held on a $5,000 cash-only bond.
McGuire has a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 14th.
