Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle says a former Sioux County resident is facing jail time for failing to pay court-ordered restitution. Forty-two-year-old Dustin Allan Stienstra, now living in Sedona, Arizona, was found in contempt and sentenced to 30 days in jail, with 150 more days suspended—pending monthly payments of $250.
This case goes back to 2004, when Stienstra was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with a murder-suicide in Hospers. The court ordered he pay over $168,000 to survivors, with $150,000 set aside for the victim’s 8-month-old daughter. Most of that restitution still hasn’t been paid.
In 2022, Iowa launched a contempt action against Stienstra, who then cut contact and stopped payments after early 2023. The County Attorney tracked him to a high-value property in Arizona and secured a nationwide warrant. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Arizona authorities to bring Stienstra back to Iowa in June.
The court now requires him to keep Iowa officials updated on his address and warns that the remaining jail time could be enforced if payments stop. A follow-up hearing is scheduled for July 2026.
