Northwest Iowa man accused of sexual exploitation and invasion of privacy pleads not guilty

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – A Buena Vista County man accused of multiple charges has pleaded not guilty in district court.

Twenty-three-year-old Hector Hernandez of Storm Lake pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and three counts of invasion of privacy, according to court documents.

Hector Hernandez(Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office)

The charges stem from a series of incidents that authorities say took place in April 2026 at a Storm Lake, Iowa, home.

Online court documents state Hernandez used his phone to videotape several individuals without their consent. Court records also state videos and screenshots of explicit material were found on Hernandez’s phone after forensic analysis.

Hernandez was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on Wednesday, June 3.

The preliminary hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, at 3 p.m. was waived and canceled, according to court documents.

Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.

Source