A man identified as a former Iowa Democratic delegate, public-school board candidate, and longtime Iowa State University employee has been arrested after allegedly attempting to arrange illegal s*xual activity with someone he believed was a 14-year-old child. Juan Himar Hernandez, 48, faces two felony charges following an undercover law enforcement operation in Boone, Iowa. The supposed child was actually an officer communicating with Hernandez through social media.
The allegations surfaced after the Boone County Sheriff’s Office conducted an online investigation involving an undercover profile. Authorities said Hernandez allegedly communicated with the officer while believing he was speaking with a 14-year-old. He then allegedly attempted to meet the supposed minor at a predetermined location in Boone.
Hernandez was charged with grooming and enticing a minor under 16 for a s*xual purpose. Both offenses are Class D felonies under Iowa law. Court records cited by local media allege Hernandez attempted to “solicit, seduce, lure, or entice” the person he believed was a child to participate in an illegal s*x act.
The arrest occurred on July 21st, according to Ottumwa Radio, which based its report on court records and information from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. Hernandez was transported to the Boone County Jail following his arrest. He was later released after posting bond, and an initial court appearance was scheduled for July 30th.
Hernandez had attempted to join the Ottumwa Board of Education before launching his campaign for an elected seat. He applied to fill an interim vacancy on the board in June 2025, placing his name before the sitting board members for consideration. District officials ultimately selected local businessman Dusty Ware to serve in the vacant position.
Hernandez returned several months later as a candidate in the November 2025 school board election. He competed for one of three available seats and received approximately 1,150 votes, but finished behind the three winning candidates. The unsuccessful campaign came less than one year before his arrest in the Boone County sting operation.
Libs of TikTok uncovered Hernandez’s employment at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. In an X post the page identified him as an Iowa State employee and claimed the university had removed a webpage bearing his information. “They just scrubbed his page. Don’t worry, we have the receipts!” the account wrote, while adding that the university had not confirmed whether Hernandez remained employed.
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Iowa State materials previously identified Hernandez as an assistant program director and community development specialist with the university’s Extension and Outreach operation. His unit’s public materials described work involving “civic engagement, equity, demographic changes, community leadership, and diversity training”. A separate Iowa State-hosted project page reviewed after the arrest continued to list Hernandez as an assistant program director and community development specialist.
Hernandez also held a governor-appointed position on Iowa’s Commission of Latino Affairs. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds announced his appointment in 2022, and state records listed his term as ending on April 30th, 2026. He had previously served as president of a local League of United Latin American Citizens council and was listed among Iowa supporters of Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Watch another Democrat politician get arrested for similar crimes here: