Rock Valley, Iowa — A Rock Valley 17-year-old has been arrested on multiple child endangerment charges.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Sioux County Clerk of Court’s Office by the Rock Valley Police Department, the 17-year-old juvenile is accused of causing a traumatic brain injury in a child under one year of age. They were arrested last week.
In his statement, the officer states that the 17-year-old “engaged in a course of conduct including three or more acts of child endangerment within a 12-month period against a child under one year of age.” The officer says the 17-year-old “knowingly acted in a manner that created a substantial risk to the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health or safety and/or willfully deprived the child of necessary health care that substantially harmed the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health.” He alleges that the act that caused the brain injury resulted in the child needing emergency brain surgery in order to save the child’s life. The officer says that the 17-year-old allegedly dropped the child on the head and on another occasion had left the child on a piece of furniture, from which the child fell and began seizing. But he says the 17-year-old did not tell EMTs that the child had fallen before beginning to seize.
The 17-year-old was charged with three counts of child endangerment – bodily injury, a class D felony; one count of child endangerment – serious injury, a class C felony; and one count of child endangerment – multiple acts, a class B felony. If convicted, a defendant in Iowa could face 25 years in prison for a class B felony, 10 years for a class C felony, and 5 years for a class D felony.
Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle says the law requires forcible felonies allegedly committed by those 16 and older to be filed in adult court.
The 17-year-old faces a preliminary hearing on the charges on Tuesday, October 10th.
Bond was set at $100,000. The 17-year-old was released the same day they were arrested.
