An Ankeny chiropractor with an office in Des Moines and a cabin near Perry was arrested Friday on multiple charges of child sexual abuse, assault and exploitation.
Joshua Blake Hanisch, 39, of Ankeny was charged with four counts of second-degree sex abuse, two counts of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of purchase/possess depiction of minor in sex act and four counts of possession of a controlled substance.
According to court records, Hanisch allegedly abused and assaulted six minor females, all under the age of 12, between May 1, 2016, and Sept. 5, 2018, by touching them inappropriately while giving the children rides in his golf cart,
The Ankeny Police Department began investigating Hanisch in late March after learning from the Iowa Department of Human Services that the chiropractor allegedly sexually abused three minor victims. Further investigation by law enforcement disclosed three more alleged victims of sex abuse.
Search warrants executed April 3 also led to a charge of first-offense purchase/possess depiction of minor in sex act. According to court records, Hanisch “admitted to using his iPhone” between March 10, 2020, and April 3, 2020, “to search the internet for pornography and then watched multiple video clips, believed by him to be children under the age of 15 years old engaged in prohibited sexual acts.”
The search warrants also disclosed a variety of cannabis-related items. According to court records, “a bag containing 50 THC edibles” was found at Hanisch’s workplace at 4539 Douglas Ave. in Des Moines, and “multiple mason jars containing a green leafy substance” and “various containers of THC edibles” were located at Hanisch’s Ankeny residence.
At Hanisch’s cabin south of Perry on Jewell Place, a law enforcement search disclosed “five mason jars, each containing a green leafy substance identified as marijuana,” with a total weight of 1087 grams.
Hanisch is held in the Polk County Jail on a $435,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 13 in Polk County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
