Hunter
02/01/22
A Coralville man reached a plea deal after admitting to having a sexual relationship with a 15 year old girl in Hiawatha.
The Gazette reports that Grayson Dearing was 26 at the time, and admitted that he had sex with the teen between December of 2020 and July of 2021.
The girl reported the sex acts and how they occurred repeatedly over the seven months during a forensic exam at UnityPoint-St. Luke’s Child Protection Center. Investigators found multiple text messages between the two corroborating the girl’s account.
Dearing admitted to the acts when interviewed by investigators. Monday, he pleaded guilty to one of three counts of 3rd degree Sexual Abuse and faces up to ten years in prison.
Dearing will ask for a deferred judgement, which would give him probation and no prison time. Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said the victim and her family are in favor of Dearing getting the deferred judgement, but the paper reports that Maybanks will not make his recommendation until a psychosexual evaluation and pre-sentencing report are completed.
A sentencing date hasn’t been set yet.