Repeated sex assault results in 60 years in prison

Jul. 23—OTTUMWA — A plea deal on a sexual abuse case still resulted in a sentence of 60 years in prison.

Son Ngoc Nguyen, 53, of Ottumwa, was sentenced Monday on three counts of third-degree sexual abuse, four counts of lascivious acts with a child and two counts of incest.

Judge Shawn Showers ordered he be sentenced to 60 years in prison as part of the plea deal.

Wapello County Attorney Reuben Neff said prosecutors agreed with the resolution, stating the path meant the victim didn't need to testify in court. Additionally, there's no guarantee a jury trial would have resulted in a harsher sentence and could have possibly resulted in a lesser one.

Showers ordered a special life sentence for Nugyen, meaning he will remain under Iowa Department of Corrections supervision for the rest of his life.

In May, Nguyen pled guilty as part of a negotiated plea deal agreed to by prosecutors. He had been charged in 2018 with sexually assaulting a victim for a period of three years, according to court documents. During the assaults, the victim was age 13-years-old and younger, police said. One of the more recent sexual acts at the time of his arrest had been corroborated by DNA evidence, investigators said.

Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.

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