Iowa high school football coach arrested on 46 counts of child sex abuse, lascivious acts
A southwest Iowa high school football coach was arrested on 46 felony counts of sexual abuse and lascivious acts with a child.
Ryan Kissell, 42, of Creston, was arrested Aug. 16 after the Creston Police Department filed charges earlier in the week. He faces 21 counts of second-degree sexual abuse, 24 counts of lascivious acts with a child and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
The victim told police that the alleged sexual abuse began in 2013 and has continued until most recently on July 5, court documents say. Court records indicate the alleged abuse did not happen on school grounds or at any school activity.
Kissell was being held without bond until his initial court appearance, which had not yet been scheduled. Officials are still investigating, but do not believe there are other victims at this time, according to Lt. Jared Aupen with the Creston Police Department.
Kissell was hired in May to be Nodaway Valley Community School District's football coach, after having been Creston's middle school coach, according to Western Iowa Today. A Creston News Advertiser story from May noted Kissell also would be a high school special education teacher at Nodaway Valley.
The district is headquartered in Greenfield.
Kissell did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday evening. In an email Thursday, Nodaway Valley Superintendent Paul Croghan said the district notified parents that a staff member — whom the district did not release the name of — had been arrested Wednesday and placed on administrative leave.
The alleged conduct for which the arrest was made was unrelated to the staff member's work in the district, he said.
Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater told the Des Moines Register his deputies arrested someone at about 1 p.m. Wednesday at Nodaway Valley High School. He would not confirm whether the person arrested worked for Nodaway Valley, though court records say Kissell was arrested at about 1:10 p.m.
He said his office was only the arresting agency, serving a Union County warrant for a Creston police case. Vandewater added he had no reason to believe any related crimes had been committed in Adair County.
A Creston News Advertiser report from April 2021 indicates Kissell was the head girls soccer coach at the time there, and Creston School Board minutes from February 2023 noted Kissell had resigned as assistant boys soccer coach.
Creston School Board minutes from May note Kissell had also been an assistant 8th grade football coach and assistant middle school baseball coach there.
Phillip Sitter covers suburban growth and development for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school football coach arrested on child sex abuse charges
