Orange City, Iowa — A pretrial conference and the trial have been pushed back once again in the case of a Hawarden mother and stepfather who are facing felony charges of child endangerment after her 11-year-old told a teacher he was being abused.
According to court records, 34-year-old Nina Spaans’ and 35-year-old Matthew Spaans’ pretrial conference is now scheduled for Monday, October 30th in Sioux County District Court. The order says that the conference was postponed because the parties are engaged in plea negotiations. If there ends up being a trial, it has now been scheduled for Tuesday, January 9th, 2018.
Court records say authorities believe that Matthew Spaans abused his 11-year-old stepson, causing injuries. Authorities also believe Nina Spaans told the boy to make up stories about how the injuries were received.
Both Matthew and Nina Spaans are charged with three counts each of Child Endangerment Causing Bodily Injury, a class D felony, and so far both have maintained their “not guilty” pleas.
