OSKALOOSA – An Ottumwa man is behind bars after authorities in Mahaska County executed an online undercover operation.

According to court records, the operation began on March 25, in which a detective posed as a 14-year-old girl. Investigators communicated with 45-year-old Jeremy Songer of Ottumwa through multiple different platforms, including the Skout app and the TextNow app. Songer allegedly requested inappropriate images during his contact with undercover investigators, and even posed as a different individual using a different phone number in an attempt to continue the communication after receiving no response.

Court documents state that Songer then located the undercover Facebook account posing as the 14-year-old girl and again requested inappropriate images, in addition to sending pictures of himself after being asked to verify his identity. Authorities were able to locate Songer after obtaining a search warrant for a Mediacom internet account associated with the first phone number he used and linking the IP address to his residence.

Songer was arrested on June 23 and faces multiple felony charges, including two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Cause to Engage in Act (class B felonies) and one count of Grooming (class D felony). He is being held in the Mahaska County Jail on a $55,000 bond.