DUBUQUE, Iowa — October 20, 2026

A Dubuque man who broke into a home and attempted to sexually assault a teenage girl in her bedroom has been sentenced to 30 years in prison in Dubuque County District Court.

Andrew Wesley Heiar, 42, of Dubuque, received a 25-year prison term for first-degree burglary and a five-year term for assault with intent to commit sexual abuse causing bodily injury, with the sentences ordered to run consecutively — one after the other — for a total of 30 years. District Court Judge Monica L. Zrinyi Ackley imposed the sentence following a sentencing hearing on Monday, October 19, 2026, with the formal judgment entered October 20.

Heiar pleaded guilty to the two counts under a negotiated plea agreement filed August 22, 2026, which the court accepted on August 24, 2026. Three other counts — first-degree harassment, third-offense operating while intoxicated, and driving while license denied or revoked — were dismissed by the court as part of the case’s resolution.

The August 2025 break-in

The case dates to the early morning hours of Monday, August 4, 2025, when Dubuque police responded to a report that a man had broken into a Dubuque home, entered a teenager’s bedroom, and attempted to sexually assault her, according to court documents and contemporary news reports.

Investigators identified Heiar as the suspect using traffic camera footage that showed him approaching the home and leaving the scene. Police then obtained a search warrant for Heiar’s residence, where they located the clothing he had worn during the incident and the vehicle seen in the camera footage, documents state. Heiar told police he had consumed five or six alcoholic beverages on Sunday afternoon, August 3, 2025, and had no recollection of traveling to the teenager’s home. He was arrested at his residence just after 5:30 a.m. on August 4, 2025.

Dubuque police filed five criminal complaints that day, and prosecutors filed the formal trial information on August 14, 2025. A no-contact order protecting the victim was issued on August 5, 2025; the court modified and continued that order as part of the sentencing judgment.

Sentence details

In addition to the prison terms, the court imposed the special sentence for sex offenders under Iowa law on the assault count, requiring Heiar to register as a sex offender and to submit a DNA sample. A $1,025 fine on the assault count was fully suspended.

Heiar was also ordered to pay $322.72 in restitution to the victim, a $90 surcharge, and $15,507 in court costs, under a court-ordered payment plan.

The case is State of Iowa v. Andrew Wesley Heiar, Dubuque County case number 01311 FECR160820.