Police: Convicted sex offender broke into West Des Moines apartment, sexually abused woman

A convicted sex offender who authorities say has failed to update the registry on multiple occasions was charged Saturday with breaking into an apartment and sexually abusing a woman in November 2018. 

Michael Cassin Burt, 58, of Des Moines, was charged Saturday with first-degree burglary, third-degree sexual abuse and failure to register as a sex offender.

He has also been charged with violating his probation for two counts of sex offender registration violation and one count of threats with an explosive or incendiary device. 

Burt was being held in Polk County Jail on $241,000 bond. 

Court documents say that around 6:15 p.m. Nov. 13, Burt broke into a West Des Moines apartment and sexually assaulted a woman who was inside. 

Burt is required to register as a sex offender for a 1978 conviction of first-degree criminal sexual contact in Lansing, Michigan, documents said. Documents say he failed to provide his current address to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry within five days of a change of information.

Warrants were issued in November for Burt's arrest. Burt was booked into Polk County Jail around 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

He was additionally charged with violating his probation on three previous charges, two of which involved failures to update his registration as a sex offender in Polk County. The third charge was for threats with an explosive or incendiary device, in reference to an August 2018 incident at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines. Documents say he placed a lighter next to the nozzle of an oxygen tube that runs throughout the building.