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Herve Twagirumukize of Ames has been found guilty of felony child enticement after a sting operation that was held in Knoxville in October of 2024.
The 29-year-old from Ames was arrested with three others as part of a large-scale sting operation in Knoxville, which included over ten different agencies. Court records indicate that Twagirumukize engaged in a chat online with an undercover police officer who was posing as a 13-year-old female. Twagirumukize agreed to meet with the minor in Knoxville to perform sexual acts and was arrested at the meet up spot. He was then charged with enticing a minor under 16, a class D felony, and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance cocaine, person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons, and possession of marijuana.
Twagirumukize had a trial that started on September 29th, 2025 and lasted two days, which was tried to a judge as opposed to being tried in front of a jury. Judge Charles Sinnard read the verdict in Marion County District Court on Tuesday, in which Twagirumukize was found guilty on all four counts. Sentencing will be held on April 20th and Twagirumukize will be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor and have all phone communication monitored by the Iowa Department of Corrections. Marion County Attorney Jared Harmon says he is happy with the verdict and that it is important for law enforcement to work with his office to prevent crimes against children from happening.
“This is an example of what happens when law enforcement works together with my office and we are able to proactively investigate people who are on the internet with the intent of harming children. These types of cases are incredibly important because we are able to find these people and arrest them before they are able to hurt an actual child.”
Three others were arrested at the same time as Twagirumukize as part of the sting operation including Chadwick Cooper of Colfax, Jason Glasgow of Oskaloosa, and Stephen Spangler of Waukee. Glasgow has not had a trial date set, Cooper was sentenced to five years in prison on March 6th, and Spangler pled guilty to a lesser charge and received probation.