Brothers in Crime: Digging deeper into Cooper sex abuse case

On Aug. 24, 2017, two Newton brothers were arrested and charged with a combination of 20 counts of sexual abuse for lascivious and sexual acts with a 10-year-old girl.

Shawn Cooper and Dustin Cooper are both accused of sexually abusing the child over several months, according to the Newton Police Department. The NPD launched the investigation in March 2017, following complaints generated by their sister, Tanya Revell, and Polk County Department of Human Services.

Despite his own admissions to the crimes, 42-year-old Shawn D. Cooper, was deemed incompetent to stand trial on 16 counts of second-degree sexual abuse and walked out of the Jasper County Courthouse a free man.

After two independent medical evaluations showed the Newton man’s mental condition made him incompetent to stand trial, the court was forced to dismiss the charges, according to Iowa law. The Jasper County Attorney is now exploring a civil commitment with the assistance of the Iowa Attorney General. Local lawmakers have pledged to act in the case.

His brother, 40-year-old Dustin Cooper, is scheduled to be sentenced Monday on five counts of second-degree sexual abuse after pleading guilty to the charges in November. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for the crimes. He’s been in custody since his arrest in August at the Jasper County Jail with a $135,000 bond.

All but one of the incidents of sexual abuse occurred at Dustin Cooper’s home, just west of the Newton DMACC Campus where Shawn Cooper is now residing. Shawn Cooper also admitted to abusing the victim once at his former Newton apartment.