Calif. man charged with sex abuse, filming minors in shower

A California man is charged with sexual abuse among six additional charges filed Wednesday following a stint in which police say he claimed to be an actor from “Twilight” to entice teenage girls.

David A. LaVera, 33, appeared in court for initial appearances for those charges, alongside his court-appointed attorney, Richard Phelps II.

Initially charged with enticing a minor and carrying weapons, LaVera is now also charged with third-degree sexual abuse, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of invasion of privacy and attempting to entice a minor under 16.

According to court documents, after LaVera was arrested for enticing a minor he admitted to touching the 14-year-old victim in her vaginal area. The victim told investigators he performed a sex act without her consent.

Further, LaVera is accused of using his smartphone to video a 12-year-old victim taking a shower and using the bathroom. Another charge of sexual exploitation of a minor names a 14-year-old victim who was filmed using the bathroom.

The new charge for enticing a minor was filed by Newton police, who determined LaVera had communicated with a 14-year-old via Facebook and met her at Berg Middle School and Maytag Park.

LaVera was initially charged in June after police say he claimed to be an actor from the “Twilight” movie series and used his alleged celebrity status to entice a 14-year-old girl to a park in Baxter after having sexually explicit conversations with the teen on Facebook.

While at the park, LaVera is accused of touching the teen inappropriately and then luring her into his vehicle. He allegedly drove her around Baxter until concerned family and friends, who had reported a kidnapping, were able to stop the vehicle and get the girl out of the car.

When stopped by police, LaVera was found with a sword longer than 8 inches hidden in the driver’s side door jam, which was within the defendant’s reach. LaVera also had four double-edged daggers in the vehicle’s center console within his reach.

LaVera was also charged with failure to have a valid license while operating a motor vehicle.

LaVera’s visits to two Newton schools in May  — Berg Middle School and Aurora Heights Elementary — prompted the school board to examine its visitor policy. During those visits LaVera was accompanied by parents of three students and followed current visitor procedures.

While at the schools, LaVera performed stunts, signed autographs and posed for photos that show him with teenage girls. A subcommittee was formed to review the visitors policy and is expected to give a recommendation to the school board.

A pretrial conference scheduled for Wednesday was continued because the new charges that were filed. LaVera remains in the Jasper County Jail on a $60,000 bond.

Contact Editor Abigail Pelzer at (641) 792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com.