SPIRIT LAKE – A Northern Iowa restaurant owner is facing some serious charges down in Louisiana, police say.
According to the July 23, 2024, booking report at the Calcasieu Correctional Center in Louisiana, 60-year-old Van Choy Leo (pictured at top) of Spirit Lake, Iowa, was processed on charges of:
– Two counts of second degree sexual battery
– Two counts of first degree rape
– Two counts of aggravated oral sexual battery
On May 24th, 2024, Spirit Lake Police were made aware of an outstanding arrest warrant for Choi Van Leo, the owner of the Asian Palace Restaurant in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
Officers arrested Leo on the outstanding warrant from Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. Leo was held in the Dickinson County Jail and subsequently transported to Louisiana.
On Sep 27, 2024, Spirit Lake police were again contacted by Calcasieu Parish with an update on this case. Choi Van Leo was formally indicted on two counts of Aggravated Rape and four counts of molestation of a juvenile. These charges stem from cases dating back to 1995.
Because of the amount of time that had passed prior to Leo’s arrest and the nature of the offenses alleged, the prosecutor’s office from Louisiana has requested that Iowa authorities make the community aware of this case.