Orange City, Iowa — The former teacher who taught at Sioux Center Christian School and was charged with 146 counts of child sex-related crimes — has pleaded guilty in a plea bargain and will face sentencing in early 2019.
According to court documents, as part of the plea bargain, 37-year-old Curtis Van Dam pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse in the second degree, a class B felony; five counts of sexual abuse in the third degree, a class C felony; and one count of sexual abuse by a school employee, a class D felony.
Van Dam could face a 25-year prison sentence for the class B felony, ten years for each of the five class C felonies, and five years for the class D felony, for a total of up to 80 years in prison, plus fines, fees, and costs, according to Iowa code.
Van Dam’s sentencing hearing is set for Friday, January 11th.
In a separate federal case this past June, Van Dam was sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison as part of a plea bargain and pled guilty to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.
