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Iowa Mayor Charged With Sexually Abusing 2 Girls

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The first-year mayor of a northeastern Iowa city is behind bars after being charged with sexually assaulting two girls in 2010.

Deputies with the Fayette County Sheriff's Office arrested Oelwein Mayor Jason Manus at his home Monday.

He's charged with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse for allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a 9-year-old girl. Each count carries up to 25 years in prison.

During an initial court appearance, Manus was ordered held on a $125,000 bond. He said he anticipated retaining attorney Craig Ament, who didn't immediately return a message.

Manus narrowly defeated the incumbent mayor, Larry Murphy, in November 2013 and took office in January.

Sheriff Marty Fisher said his office launched the investigation a month ago after receiving information from the Iowa Department of Human Services.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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