An Ankeny man was arrested Thursday on a Dallas County warrant in connection with incidents in 2019 in which he allegedly sexually abused a Georgia female in Earlham. His son was arrested Tuesday for allegedly raping the same 14-year-old victim.
Ross “Spenser” Shannon Bretsch, 56, of 1009 S.W. Des Moines Lane, Ankeny, was charged with seven counts of first-offense third-degree sexual abuse-child victim coerced by person in authority.
The victim reported the alleged crime to the Dallas County Sheriff’s office in 2024, according to court records.
At the time of the alleged abuse, the victim was 14 years old and Bretsch was 50, according to court records.
A warrant for Bretsch’s arrest was ordered March 6 in Dallas County District Court and served March 13. Bretsch is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $100,000 cash or surety bond in advance of an initial appearance in Dallas County District Court.
The investigation leading to the arrests of Shannon Bretsch and Cheyenne Bretsch was conducted by the Dallas County Sheriff’s office, with assistance from the Des Moines Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Story County Sheriff’s office and the De Soto Police Department.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
