Man pleads guilty to Storm Lake attempted murder, sentenced to prison

STORM LAKE, Iowa (KCAU) — A northwest Iowa man will serve as many as 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder.

Oscar Ortiz, 31, of Laurens, Iowa, pleaded guilty on Monday, according to Buena Vista County officials. He waived his right to a delayed sentencing, so that same day, he was given a maximum of 25 years in prison.

The charge of attempted murder stems from an incident on Sep. 18, 2023 in which Ortiz allegedly stabbed another man five times and stole his cellphone.

The Storm Lake Police Department said at the time that they were called shortly after 5 p.m. that day to the 700 block of Highview after a man had been stabbed. The man was reportedly being chased by the attacker, but was able to escape and run inside the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center for help.

The victim identified the suspect as Ortiz. Witnesses said Ortiz had allegedly fled the area in a vehicle.

At around 5:15 p.m., police were told that Ortiz was surrendering himself at the police department. Ortiz was then able to be taken into custody without incident.

After further investigation, police determined that just before 5 p.m., Ortiz had confronted the victim on Lochedem Drive. Ortiz allegedly attacked the victim with a hunting knife and stabbed him five times in the upper torso. Ortiz also took the victim’s phone, according to officials.

Police allege that the victim then fled on foot, escaping to the hospital. There, the victim was treated for serious injuries before being flown to another hospital for further treatment.

Originally, Ortiz was also charged with first-degree robbery; willful injury causing serious injury; assault while participating in a felony; and going armed with intent, all felonies. Those charges were dropped under the plea agreement.

Gage Teunissen contributed to this report.

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