An Ottumwa man recently had felony charges dismissed in relation to a 2021 Henry County incident. Fifty-six year-old Juan Almenares had a class B Felony for ongoing criminal conduct and unlawful activity and a Class D felony for illegal use of a scanning device dropped by Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Joshua P. Schier. His godson, 35-year-old Erlian A. Gonzalez was also charged and was given a suspended five-year prison sentence and placed on five years of probation this February. Court documents show the charges were dismissed with Almenares pleading guilty in a related criminal action and agreeing to pay court costs.

The initial incident occurred in May of 2021 when Wayland State Bank in Mount Pleasant reported what they believed to be fraudulent purchases on some of their customers’ debit and credit cards. Three credit card skimmers were then located at a gas station in Mount Pleasant.