DUBUQUE, Iowa — On June 5, 2025, at 4:10 p.m., Kenneth James Hess, a 36-year-old white male, was arrested at 770 Iowa St. in Dubuque by Officer D.C. Kramer of the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department. Hess faces two felony charges: tampering with a witness through intimidation and contempt for violating a no-contact or protective order.

The arrest follows a series of alleged offenses on April 24, 2025, documented in criminal complaints filed by the Peosta Iowa Police Department. Hess is charged with domestic abuse assault (third or subsequent offense) and domestic abuse assault impeding air/blood flow causing bodily injury, both classified as Class D felonies. Additional charges include operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, an aggravated misdemeanor, and operating while under the influence (first offense), a serious misdemeanor. A contempt charge for violating a no-contact or protective order, stemming from an incident on May 31, 2025, was also filed.

Court records show a no-contact order was issued on April 25, 2025, by Judge Robert J. Richter, alongside a $10,000 cash appearance bond and a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 5, 2025. Hess entered a plea of not guilty and waived his preliminary hearing on May 19, 2025, with a pretrial conference set for July 14, 2025, and a jury trial scheduled for July 22, 2025. On June 5, 2025, Judge Richter ordered the issuance of a public/bench warrant, and Judge Thomas A. Bitter signed an order for discovery.

Hess applied for court-appointed counsel on April 25, 2025. Attorney Matthew Louis Noel filed a motion to withdraw as counsel on June 3, 2025, while attorney Robert Joseph Murphy filed a motion for discovery on June 4, 2025. The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department also initiated contempt proceedings on June 4, 2025.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.