Orange City, Iowa — A Rock Valley man is in jail in Orange City after allegedly threatening his neighbor with a weapon on Sunday night.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Sioux County Clerk of Court’s office, 37-year-old Kurtis Lee De Groot of Rock Valley is accused of sending a text message to his neighbor, threatening to discharge a weapon into his neighbor’s window. It says he knew that the neighbor and family were in the house at the time. The report says that before the text message was sent, the neighbor heard a sound that he believed was a gunshot. A spent casing was found in De Groot’s backyard, says the officer. It also alleges that DeGroot’s wife found a handgun on DeGroot’s pickup in the garage. While clearing the weapon for officer safety, the Rock Valley Police Officer who responded found the magazine to be one round from being fully loaded.
DeGroot was charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon, assault while participating in a felony, second-degree harassment, simple assault, reckless use of a firearm, and domestic assault with intent to injure. The intimidation charge is a class C felony, and the assault charge is a class D felony. The other charges are misdemeanors.
If convicted of a class C felony, DeGroot could face a 10-year prison sentence. No court dates have yet been set in the case. At last report, DeGroot remained in the Sioux County Jail in Orange City in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
