Hunter
03/18/22
A 27-year-old Coralville man who admitted that he had sex with a 15-year-old girl multiple times over a several-month period was given a deferred judgement in a plea agreement.
The Gazette reports that Grayson Dearing pleaded in January to one of three counts of 3rd-degree sexual abuse. At sentencing earlier this week, the two other charges were dropped.
The incidents occurred between December 1st 2020 and July 4th 2021 in Hiawatha. The girl described the acts that occurred during a forensic exam at UnityPoint St. Luke’s Child Protection Center.
In the criminal complaint, Investigators said also found numerous text messages between the girl and Dearing that corroborated the allegations.
Sixth Judicial District Judge Christopher Bruns sentenced Dearing to 10 years in prison but deferred the sentence as part of the plea agreement. Bruns said that the sentence would have been harsher had it not been for the wishes of the victim and her family.
The paper reports that Dearing will be on probation for three years, and if his record remains clean during that time he can request the charge be removed from his record. Judge Bruns said that if Dearing is convicted of a similar offense in the future, his punishment could be enhanced.
Dearing also has to register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for ten years and was issued a no-contact order with the victim.