ESTHERVILLE– A former Estherville police officer was arrested on a warrant served by the Emmet County, Iowa Sheriff April 7. The warrant included charges on 84 criminal counts. Ben Scheevel of Fairmont is currently held in the Buena Vista County jail in Storm Lake on $200,000 bond for charges originating in Emmet County. Judge John Sandy set a bond reduction hearing for Friday, April 22, in Emmet County District Court to be held by Zoom.

Scheevel pled not guilty at his arraignment Monday through his attorney, Adam Zenor of Des Moines, Iowa.

The charges include multiple counts of ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony; perjury, a Class D felony; obstruction, an aggravated misdemeanor, stalking, a Class D felony; stalking involving a dangerous weapon, a Class D felony; unauthorized dissemination of criminal history data, an aggravated misdemeanor; unauthorized dissemination of intelligence history data, a Class D felony; assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, evasion of Iowa income tax, a Class D felony; theft in the second degree, a Class D felony, and non-felonious misconduct in office, a serious misdemeanor. Judge Shayne L. Mayer additionally issued no-contact orders relating to four local women Monday, April 11 to be served on Scheevel.

A list of the counts indicates the events leading to the charges happened between 2016 and 2019.

Scheevel is named along with the city of Estherville in a lawsuit now in federal court in the Northern District of Iowa that was brought by Estherville resident Victoria Abrahamson. Abrahamson said in her petition that Scheevel sent messages offering to pay the $1,500 she owed a local credit union to get her car back after it was repossessed in exchange for sexual favors.

Prosecutors also stated Scheevel, also a former employee of the city of Armstrong, participated in an alleged assault of Tylor Evans, then a city of Armstrong employee when then-Armstrong police chief Craig Merrill used his police-issued taser on party guests who requested him to do so.

Scheevel also faces charges of tax evasion on money earned helping to repossess vehicles and wages from the city of Armstrong, perjury regarding his knowledge of those earnings, and theft in the second degree for a check made out to him in 2016 for an amount over $1,500.

The U.S. Department of Justice has a website dedicated to assisting victims of stalking. http://stalkingawareness.org/ provides information on stalking and resources for help. Minnesota residents can get help at the United Way 2-1-1 24-hour crisis line at 211 or 651-291-0211 or during business hours Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Crime Victim justice Unit Referral Hotline at 800-247-0390, ext. 3.

All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.