Fitzgerald was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in November 2020. The investigation revealed that Fitzgerald possessed more than 700 pictures and videos of children, as young as infants, being sexually abused by adults or sexually exploited. The child pornography was located on Fitzgerald’s cell phone in multiple encrypted apps; including one app that was disguised as a calculator. Law enforcement also located a selfie of Fitzgerald, with his genitals exposed, while standing in his classroom. A forensic analysis of his cell phone revealed that Fitzgerald routinely viewed child pornography while going about his daily life, including while teaching, ministering to the youth, coaching and attending field trips.

State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney Monica Smith and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and his Computer Crimes Unit in ensuring that this sex offender was sentenced to a long-term prison sentence and protecting the youth of our community.

On June 11^th, 2019, Ronald Strouse, 77, called 911 and told the operator a “lady” was fighting with him. The “lady” turned out to be Strouse’s 77 year old wife of almost 50 years of marriage.  Later in the call, the defendant told the 911 operator he and his wife were physically fighting and he didn’t think she was with us any longer. The day before the murder, the victim confronted the defendant and told him she was leaving him. The next day, while the victim was lying on the couch, the defendant pulled her off and began aggressively battering her, while he sat on top of her and strangled her until she stopped moving. On June 27^th, 2023 Strouse was convicted by a Polk County Jury of 2^nd Degree Murder. He will be sentenced later this year and could receive Life in prison. State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney Mikaela Perry and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case.

Assistant State Attorney Mikaela Perry