Saylor Township man gets life sentence for kidnapping, sex abuse

DES MOINES -- A Saylor Township man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for kidnapping and sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl.

A Polk County jury convicted Michael D. Dunbar, 65, of first-degree kidnapping and second-degree sexual abuse on Oct. 21, 2022. He was found to have prior applicable sexual abuse convictions, which enhanced his charges to Class A felonies. First-degree kidnapping carries a mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Des Moines Police were contacted Nov. 11, 2021, after the girl was found on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines. She reported that Dunbar offered her a ride while she was in a store and waiting for a bus on East Euclid. Dunbar then drove her to a different location than her destination and assaulted her in the vehicle before she escaped.

The case was prosecuted by Meggan Guns and Kristen Formanek of the Polk County Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of Kayla McKee.  The case was investigated by Detective Lucas Kramer and the Des Moines Police Department.