MERRICK COUNTY, Neb. – An Iowa man who was on the run will now spend more than a decade in prison thanks to a lengthy investigation and extra efforts by a Nebraska Sheriff's Deputy.

According to a news release, Merrick County Deputy Brandi Coufal began investigating a suspicious man who worked at a rural gas station in Merrick County in 2022.

Online, Coufal located and identified 44-year old Herbert Glen Eddards who had an Iowa address.

Coufal contacted authorities in Benton County, IA, who told her that Eddards was a suspect in a sexual abuse of a child investigation that had taken place from 2016-2020.

Authorities arrested him in January 2023, and last Thursday, a judge sentenced Eddards to 15 years in prison for sexual abuse of a child and several other charges.