ALTOONA, Iowa — An Altoona man was sentenced to prison on Friday for committing sexual acts on children.

According to the Polk County Attorney’s Office, 71-year-old Michael Charles Ertz pleaded guilty to committing sexual acts on three separate minors that occurred between 2013 to 2019 in Polk County and pleaded guilty to committing similar acts in Dallas County during the same time frame at a hearing on Friday.

In December 2024, the Altoona Police Department learned about the sexual abuse committed by Ertz when one of the victims came forward. During the execution of a search warrant, police discovered child pornography in Ertz’s possession.

In total, Ertz pled guilty to three counts of lascivious acts with a child and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the Polk County case and two counts of lascivious acts with a child in the Dallas County case.

During Friday’s hearing, a district judge sentenced Ertz to 50 years in prison and ordered Ertz to be supervised and monitored by the Department of Corrections for the rest of his life and to register as a sex offender.

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