Former Franklin County attorney sentenced to four years in prison for sexual crimes.

A former Franklin County attorney was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual crimes on Tuesday of this week. 74-year-old Daniel Wiechmann,Jr has been convicted of three misdemeanors including two counts of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and indecent contact with a child according to court records. The charges stem from incidents that allegedly took place between October,2014 through March,2016 involving Wiechmann’s step-grandchildren. The crimes took place in Dallas, Polk and Franklin counties. According to the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, a report was filed on October 25,2021 with the Ankeny Police Department regarding sexual abuse that had been occurring between Wiechmann and several juvenile step-grandchidren over the course of several years. Due to the fact that abuse was alleged to have taken place in multiple counties in Iowa and that Wiechmann had served as the Franklin County attorney, the state DCI was asked to assist. Due to a conflict of interest, the Franklin County Attorney’s Office requested that the Polk County Attorney’s Office serve as a special prosecutor for the investigation. Wiechmann was the Franklin County Attorney from 2009 until 2014. Single counts of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and indecent exposure in Franklin County were dismissed this past May.