Thirty-three-year-old former Wellman resident Aaron Tripses was sentenced on June 23rd to thirty years in federal prison for the production of child pornography.

The original incident occurred on July 15th, 2020, when Tripses assaulted his wife at the Heartland Inn Hotel in Coralville, nearly choking her unconscious and striking her in the face multiple times with his hands and cell phone. Tripses then took the victim to his house in Oxford, where he continued his physical assault and prevented her from leaving. At night, Tripses returned to the hotel and took the victim’s possessions from the room, including her cell phone.

The next day the victim was able to text a third party for help with her cell phone. When the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department responded for a welfare check on the 16th, Tripses tried to hide the victim from the deputies on the scene. The victim proceeded to call out to the deputies, and Tripses proceeded to run off into a field to hide with the couple’s child. He was arrested shortly afterward.

After his arrest, multiple search warrants were executed on Tripses’ devices and accounts. Officers located over 1,400 images and videos depicting Tripses engaging in sex acts with a minor, including depictions of acts of violence such as prolonged strangulation. Officers also found dozens of videos of women filmed in public places without their knowledge.

On January 18th, 2022, Tripses pleaded guilty to the production of child pornography. Following his release from prison, Tripses must register as a sex offender and serve seven years of supervised release.