Iowa Teacher, Cassidy Sue Kraus, Accused of Sexual Abuse and Obscene Snapchat Messages Released from Jail on Bond

 

A 24-year-old Iowa teacher accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old child and sending explicit materials to three minors on Snapchat has been released from jail after her booking on Friday, as confirmed by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office to Law&Crime.

Cassidy Sue Kraus, a middle school reading teacher, chose to resign from her job in the IKM-Manning Community School District (CSD) in August rather than facing termination. 

She is now facing serious charges, including felony charges of third-degree sexual abuse and two counts of inappropriate acts with a child. Additionally, there are three misdemeanor charges related to allegedly sending explicit materials to three different children via Snapchat during the school years of 2022 and 2023.

Kraus is accused of knowingly sharing obscene material with Victim 1 from January 2022 to May 2022 and with Victims 2 and 3 from January 2023 to June 2023, using Snapchat for each instance, according to criminal complaints from Carroll County obtained by Law&Crime. 

However, it's important to note that the alleged misconduct did not solely take place on the app. In May 2022, Kraus is alleged to have committed inappropriate acts involving a 13-year-old by touching and causing the touching of the child's genitals, even though she was a mandatory reporter of child abuse as a teacher employed by the IKM-Manning Community School District.

The charges related to disseminating obscene materials are classified as serious misdemeanors. The charges of inappropriate acts and third-degree sexual abuse are class C felonies, typically carrying a maximum sentence of up to 10 years under Iowa law, especially if the accused is a first-time offender, as is alleged in this case.

Cassidy Sue Kraus, formerly known as Cassie Branning, previously achieved academic excellence, making the dean's list multiple times for her outstanding performance in elementary education coursework at Iowa State University. 

She also attended the same school district, IKM-Manning CSD, where she later became a teacher. Local news records indicate that Kraus, known as Cassie Branning back then, was a member of the IKM-Manning Girls Track & Field team.

Her wedding was scheduled for July 1, the same day her Facebook page indicates she got married. The most recent post from her X account suggested her excitement about getting married.

Law&Crime has reached out to the superintendent of IKM-Manning CSD for comment.

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