Oskaloosa man gets 30-year sentence in infant's death
An Oskaloosa man who admitted to "bouncing" his girlfriend's baby on an air mattress before the child's death has been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
Johnny Dale Jr., then 21, was originally charged in 2019 with first-degree murder in the 4-month-old child's death. In January he entered an Alford plea to reduced charges of child endangerment resulting in serious injury, willful injury causing serious injury and neglect of a child. A defendant making an Alford plea maintains his innocence but concedes the state had enough evidence for a conviction.
Previously: Iowa man pleads not guilty to killing girlfriend's baby boy
What was Dale accused of?
According to court filings, Dale was left to care for his girlfriend's son for about 5 hours on June 15, 2019. When she left, she told officers, the baby was "his normal, happy-go-lucky self," but when she returned the infant had a bruise on his head and wouldn't wake up. Although she wanted to take the baby to get checked out, "the defendant refused and told her to wait until the following morning," the filings say.
In an interview, Dale told police he'd been frustrated with the baby and that he was "bouncing" the baby on an air mattress in an attempt to get the baby to sleep. He acknowledged this probably caused the baby's injuries.
How bad were the child's injuries?
Doctors determined the baby had "severe injuries" to his brain and spinal cord, consistent with child abuse. Doctors reported the child suffered bleeding on his brain when he was brought to the Mahaska Health Partnership emergency room.
The baby died five days later, on June 21, due to his injuries.
What sentence did Dale receive?
At Dale's sentencing Friday, Judge Shawn Showers imposed the term recommended by the plea agreement: 10 years on each charge, to run consecutively. There is no mandatory minimum term he must serve to be eligible for parole.
Had Dale been convicted of first-degree murder, the mandatory sentence would have been life without parole.
He also must pay more than $6,600 in restitution to the state's Crime Victims Assistance Program. Because none of the charges to which he pled guilty involved causing the death of another, he will not be required to pay the $150,000 restitution Iowa law imposes for such offenses.
What did his attorney say?
In court filings before the sentencing, defense attorney Alfredo Parrish argued Dale was "an incredibly hard worker" with strong community support, and that "Mr. Dale’s offense was in part the result of his young age and immaturity."
"Mr. Dale recognizes the harm that has resulted from his decisions and actions," Parrish wrote. "Due to his conduct, a child he loved as his own was lost forever. This is something he must live with for the rest of his life."
In a statement, Parrish said his client "will get through this difficult time" with the support of his family.
"Johnny, in his wildest dreams, never meant to harm the baby and loved him with all his heart," Parrish said.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa man who "bounced" baby sentenced to 30 years in infant's death
