Charly Haley

chaley@dmreg.com

A Runnells man who is a registered sex offender has been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and other illegal sex acts involving a 9-year-old girl, authorities said.

Michael Lee Williams, 50, was booked into the Polk County Jail about 7:20 p.m. Friday on felony charges of human trafficking, sexual exploitation of a minor, enticing away a minor, and lascivious acts with a child, according to jail records. There is a $100,000 bond listed for each charge.

On Thursday, Polk County detectives received information from a Carver County, Minn., detective that a sex abuse case had occurred in Polk County in early June. The case was discovered by the Minnesota father of the 9-year-old victim when he found "alarming" social media messages between Cynthia Mitteness and Williams, according to a Polk County Sheriff's Office news release. Mitteness lives in Minnesota.

Mitteness was arrested by Minnesota authorities and is suspected of facilitating sexual acts between the 9-year-old girl and Williams, according to the news release.

Polk County has filed arrest warrants for Mitteness on charges of human trafficking, sexual exploitation of a minor, lascivious acts with a child, enticing a minor, and neglect/abandonment of a dependent.

Mitteness is in custody at the Carver County, Minn., jail, according to its online jail log.

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The Iowa Sex Offender Registry includes Williams, stating he was convicted in 1996 of two counts of indecent exposure with a female victim between ages 14 and 17.

He was also convicted of first-degree sexual assault in 2001 in Nebraska, according to the Iowa registry's online records.