James Wagner was once the Sheriff of Dakota County, Nebraska. He was arrested on October 30th for child abuse and possessing child sexual abuse material.
He arranged to meet up with a minor child. He had been texting the child. When their mother saw the texts she contacted police and a police officer took over the text conversation with Wagner and persuaded him to meet up, a pretext so they could arrest him. He was charged with 29 counts related to the case.
- Three counts of prohibited acts relating to child sexual abuse material
- Twenty-five counts of possessing or receiving child sexual abuse material
- One count of child abuse
Wagner was the Sheriff of Dakota County since his election in 1982 until 2010 when he lost the Republican primary to the current sheriff.
He was bound over to District Court on November 29th.
- KTIV: Former Dakota County Sheriff charged in case involving child sexual abuse material
- Sioux City Journal: Former Dakota County Sheriff charged in minor sex abuse case
- Siouxland: Former Dakota County Sheriff arrested for minor sex abuse case
November 29, 2025