Northern Iowa man accused of illicit crimes against child

HAMPTON, IOWA – A Northern Iowa man is behind bars facing serious charges after he allegedly groomed a child then drove hours north to a Minnesota hotel to do the unthinkable.

The Franklin Co Sheriff’s Office arrested a local resident, 29-year-old Richard Dixon Peacock of Geneva, Iowa, on January 6, 2025, for the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a minor, reportedly an 11-year-old female child. He reportedly groomed the child through the popular app Discord before driving hours north to pick up the child, and reportedly give her booze, dinner and a movie before going to his hotel room.

Peacock was zeroed in on after a nationwide warrant was issued in Pine county, Minnesota, on January 3, for the following charges:

– 609.25.1 – Kidnapping-Confine/Remove Any Person-No Consent

– 609.342.1a(e) – Criminal Sexual Conduct – 1st Degree – Penetration or Contact under 14 –
Actor > 36m older

The crime allegedly took place in Hinckley, Minnesota, on December 21, 2024. Peacock (pictured at top) was nabbed in Hampton at his place of employment. He is now in the Cerro Gordo county jail waiting to be shipped to Minnesota.

The Franklin county sheriff’s office warned of online grooming of children on these applications that children sometimes use.

“We’ve also seen Franklin county minors targeted through the game Roblox,” they warned.

“These cases are a sobering reminder of the need to monitor your child’s online activity. Parents, stay vigilant—know your kids’ logins & passwords to all apps they use. Log in and monitor their activity regularly to protect them from inappropriate content and online predators.”