CEDAR COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) - A Cedar County man is accused of raping a 13-year-old relative placed with him by the Iowa Department of Human Services.
30 year-old James Betts of Tipton is charged with incest and three counts of 3rd-degree sexual abuse.
According to a criminal complaint, DHS placed the girl and two other related children with Betts and his wife in 2016. In February of 2017, his wife said she found inappropriate text messages Betts had sent the girl. Betts wife and her children moved out after the incident and reported it to authorities.
DHS interviewed the girl who told an investigator that Betts had sex with her after his wife moved out. The girl said she had asked Betts to stop but he did not. She said he had sex with her every night after that until DHS removed the children on March 7th.
In an interview with police, Betts admitted having sex with the girl, who he knew was 13.