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Year-long child sexual exploitation investigation ends with 2 arrests, multiple charges in Ankeny

Police arrested 43-year-old Todd Schulz of Polk City and 44-year-old Aimee Staudt of Van Meter on Tuesday nearly a year after receiving a tip.

ANKENY, Iowa — A man and woman are in custody and charged with multiple child sexual exploitation charges following a year-long investigation, according to the Ankeny Police Department. 

Police arrested 43-year-old Todd Schulz of Polk City and 44-year-old Aimee Staudt of Van Meter on Tuesday nearly a year after receiving a tip from the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

According to Ankeny PD, Schulz and Staudt "had been in a relationship" and knew their victims.

Criminal complaints filed against Schulz accuse him and Staudt of conspiring to commit sex abuse in the third degree. Another complaint filed against Schulz accuses him of knowingly engaging in a prohibited sex act with a minor and disseminating an inappropriate picture of a minor.

No recent criminal complaints against Staudt have been found as of Tuesday evening.

Schulz faces five charges total: 

  • Conspiracy to Commit a Forcible Felony – Class C Felony
  • Sexual Exploitation of a Minor — Class C Felony
  • Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Class D Felony
  • Invasion of Privacy –  Aggravated Misdemeanor
  • Child Endangerment — Aggravated Misdemeanor

Staudt faces four charges total: 

  • Conspiracy to Commit a Forcible Felony – Class C Felony
  • Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Class C Felony
  • Invasion of Privacy – Aggravated Misdemeanor
  • Child Endangerment – Aggravated Misdemeanor

According to online jail records, Schulz was released from the Polk County Jail Tuesday afternoon. Staudt was listed as an inmate as of Tuesday evening.

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