Contact: Rachel Zimmermann Smith, Johnson County Attorney
Contact Number: 319-339-6100
Contact Email: [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Iowa City Man Convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Child
October 8, 2025 (JOHNSON COUNTY, IA) – On Friday, October 3, in Iowa District Court, Chief District Judge Lars Andersen found Robert Seals, 47, of Iowa City, guilty of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree – of a Child – 1st Offense, a Class B Felony, following a bench trial that took place during the week of July 29, 2025. Seals faces a sentence of up to 25 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of 17.5 years. Seals was found not guilty of a related charge of Distribution of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance to a Person Under Age 18, a Class B Felony.
The conviction comes from a November 2, 2022, incident where Seals and a co-defendant provided drugs and alcohol to the then 13-year-old victim and forced her to have sex with each of them in a vehicle.
Seals is scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2025. Co-defendant Stephen Ross, 28, of Iowa City, has pled guilty to the offense of Lascivious Acts with a Child, a Class C Felony, and is currently serving up to 10 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant Johnson County Attorney Oubonh White.
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