Lang
3/15/24
An Iowa City man arrested after allegedly sending a six-year-old boy head-first into a door has been given a suspended sentence.
Judge Deborah Minot gave 43-year-old David Beatty of East Washington Street a two-year suspended prison sentence and a suspended fine on Thursday.
The child was under Beatty’s care on the morning of November 4th. He told authorities that Beatty was angered because he believed the boy blew snot on his sister. The boy alleged that Beatty then dragged him down the stairs and into a door, causing bruising to his forehead.
When interviewed, Beatty denied the incident occurred the way it was described, saying he believed the boy fell down the stairs.
Police say the boy has reported previous incidents of physical violence committed by Beatty to his clinical psychologist that have affected his mental health. Beatty spent ten days in jail in 2021 after Iowa City Police say he injured another man by hitting him in the head with a large stone during a fight on East Burlington Street.
The mother in the child endangerment case tells KCJJ she is seeking sole custody of the boy, but she says the court system in Keokuk County, where she lives, has been dragging its feet. Other members of the boy’s family have shared his story on GoFundMe. A link to that page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-brix?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
The family is raising funds to pay legal fees in the case. As of Saturday morning, they had raised just over 10% of their $30,000 goal.