Dubuque man accused of sexual abuse in Cerro Gordo County pleads guilty to lesser charge

MASON CITY — A Dubuque man charged with sexual abuse in Cerro Gordo County has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

34-year-old Bennett Gonyier was arrested in July on one count of second-degree sexual abuse, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, after Mason City police accused him of sexually abusing a child under the age of five at a home in northeastern Mason City sometime between July 2nd and July 6th.

Gonyier originally had been ruled incompetent to stand trial, but after treatment, a judge ruled last month that his competency had been restored and scheduled his trial to start today. Gonyier on Friday filed a written plea of guilty as part of a plea agreement to lascivious acts with a child, a Class C felony. Prosecutors did not make a recommendation on sentencing.

A sentencing date was not immediately recorded in court records.