EMMETSBURG – A Northern Iowa jury quickly convicted this predator of child sex abuse, and now justice looms.
Aaron James Manz, of Emmetsburg, was convicted by a Palo Alto County jury on eight counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a child, following a six-day trial. The case was prosecuted jointly by the Palo Alto County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
Manz (pictured at top) was arrested on February 11, 2025, after an investigation led by the Emmetsburg Police Department.
The jury returned its verdict on February 11, 2026, after a three-hour deliberation.
Sentencing is set for April 3, 2026 at 10:30 AM at the Palo Alto Courthouse in Emmetsburg, Iowa.
The sentence for each count of sexual abuse in the second degree is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, and the court may order sentences to run consecutively or concurrently. Manz is currently held in the Palo Alto County Jail as he awaits court.
Additional information will be released following sentencing, as appropriate, authorities said.