Man who lived in Bridgewater extradited from SD after fleeing Iowa sexual abuse allegations
Oct. 24—SALEM, S.D — A man has been extradited out of McCook County and across the South Dakota border back to Clay County, Iowa, where he faces month-old allegations for sexually abusing a child.
Court documents indicate that Candido Miguel Trejo Gonzales, 35, had temporarily resided in Bridgewater, South Dakota. He officially left South Dakota via extradition sometime between Oct. 20-22, said McCook County State's Attorney Mike Fink.
On Sept. 15, five charges were formally brought by an Iowa district court serving Clay County in Iowa. They allege that Gonzales had sexually abused a family member, a child who appears to also be a member of his household, according to the charges.
He was then charged with five criminal counts, the most severe of which was second-degree sexual abuse — that carries with it a maximum sentence of
25 years in prison
, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 17.5 years, according to the Iowa County Attorney's Association.
He was also charged with the third-degree sexual abuse of a child victim who is the member of the same household, a count of lascivious acts with a child for fondling or touching — both counts that carry a maximum of ten years in prison — as well as another charge for lascivious acts with a child for inflicting pain or discomfort and one count for indecent contact with a child — both carrying a maximum of five years in prison.
On Sept. 17, Gonzales was charged in McCook County for being a fugitive from justice, two days after the arrest warrant was served. That charge, carrying no sentence, essentially served as a placeholder that allowed the state of South Dakota to legally take Gonzales into custody to serve the Clay County, Iowa, arrest warrant.
