A judge on Monday sentenced a Dubuque man to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing four people over the course of multiple years. 34-year-old John Laida, previously pleaded guilty in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County to charges of three counts of third-degree sexual abuse — including one count with a child victim — and one count of lascivious acts with a child. Laida will serve 10-year sentences concurrently for each sexual abuse charge and 10 years on the lascivious acts with a child charge, which will be served consecutively with the sentence on the sexual abuse charges. Court documents state that Laida sexually assaulted a girl under the age of 16 multiple times between July 1, 2021, and Oct. 24, 2022, and a 29-year-old woman multiple times in 2019 at a Dubuque residence. Court documents also state that Laida sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman he knew approximately three times at a Dubuque residence. The most recent assault was in the fall of 2022. During a May 2023 deposition connected to that case, an individual stated that a girl younger than 15 disclosed that she had also been sexually assaulted by Laida. Laida also is required to register as a sex offender and will be on parole for life when he is released.
Sex Offender Sentenced
By Mark Evenstad
Feb 14, 2024 | 1:27 PM