A convicted sex offender from Fort Dodge, who’s been subject of a manhunt in central Iowa, has been caught — after a woman was nearly killed over the weekend. After being on the run since Sunday morning, Des Moines police caught 34-year-old Sessions Harper on Tuesday night. Harper was booked into the Polk County Jail early this morning.
He’s charged with attempted murder, arson and sexual abuse. On Sunday, Fort Dodge police say Harper sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman and then tried to kill her by burning her house down. The woman remains in critical condition in the burn unit at University Hospitals in Iowa City. A fund has been set up at a Fort Dodge bank to help pay her medical expenses.