Warrant sought for Pieper Lewis' arrest after she walks away from probation again

Des Moines sex-trafficking victim Pieper Lewis has again absconded from her probation in a manslaughter case, this time while at a facility in Georgia, according to court records.

Iowa probation officials have asked for the issuance of a nationwide warrant for her arrest, and the Iowa Department of Corrections confirmed Friday that her whereabouts are unknown.

Steve Davis, spokesperson for the Iowa Judicial System, said he did not know whether a warrant was issued, because under Iowa law, it would remain sealed until it is served.

Lewis, now 19, received a deferred judgment in September 2022 in the 2020 stabbing death of Zachary Brooks, 37, who she said she killed after he repeatedly raped her when she was age 15. Placed on probation, she cut off her ankle monitor and walked away from a Des Moines facility and was later arrested.

In May 2023, the Polk County judge in the case, David Porter, revoked the deferred judgment for voluntary manslaughter and willful injury and ordered her to serve 20 years in prison. But he then placed her on probation again, with the support of prosecutors, as Lewis' attorneys sought placement for her in a facility more suitable than the one in Des Moines, which was intended for adult offenders.

Violations of rules reported at Georgia facility; Pieper Lewis dismissed

Lewis' location had been kept highly confidential to protect her after her story gained national attention. A probation violation report filed this month said that in November, Lewis was sent to the House of Cherith in Atlanta, which treats women who have been sexually exploited.

The report said that while there, Lewis repeatedly broke house rules, including using a contraband phone to communicate with a man, taking unauthorized photos, receiving unauthorized phone calls, conducting prohibited financial transactions and threatening to harm herself and others.

In March, the report said, Lewis absconded from a medical appointment "and spent an extended period of time" with a man she later admitted to "engaging in intimate relations with" instead of going to her appointment, according to the report.

After her return March 21, the report said, she was dismissed from the House of Cherith.

"While it is regrettable that Ms. Lewis was unable to meet the milestones expected during her residency the team at (The center) extends our sincerest prayers and best wishes to her as she embarks on her future endeavors," her case manager wrote, according to the report.

Probation officer unable to locate Pieper Lewis

Taken to the Fulton County, Georgia, probation office on March 22, Lewis reported to her probation officer and said she was homeless, according to the report. She was fitted with a GPS monitoring device and told to report to the probation office weekly until she found stable housing. But she failed to keep the appointments or to charge the device, the report said.

After April 6, Lewis' probation officer lost touch with her and no longer could locate her, despite repeated attempts, the report said.

More: Why Pieper Lewis fled the women's center, despite judge's warning of 'no third chance'

"Due to the defendant's continued non-compliant history, whereabouts being unknown, and this being an Interstate Compact Case," the report said, the probation office "is requesting a Nationwide Warrant be issued on this matter."

"Once the defendant is apprehended, it is being recommended that she remain in custody until sentencing on this matter," the probation office wrote. "If violations are found to exist, it is being requested that the defendant’s probation be revoked and the original sentence be imposed."

Lewis' attorneys at the Iowa Juvenile Public Defender's Office, Paul White, Magdalena Reese and Matthew Sheeley, were permitted to withdraw from her case in March after saying they had "completed all necessary services" on her behalf and that the office had closed Lewis' case.

'No third chance.' Could Pieper Lewis go to prison this time?

When Lewis was sentenced the first time in 2022, she received an outpouring of public support, including tens of thousands of dollars in donations to a GoFundMe to help cover the $175,000 she was ordered to pay the family of Brooks, the man she killed, under Iowa law.

Porter, the judge, warned Lewis that she was getting a "second chance," but would not get a third chance.

“Well, Ms. Lewis, this was the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third. Do you understand that?” Porter asked Lewis at the time.

Despite placing Lewis on probation again, Porter said last May that he stood by that statement, revoking the deferred judgment.

Staff writer Chris Higgins contributed to this article.

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Pieper Lewis walks away from probation; warrant sought for her arrest