The mother of a victim in an Iowa City child endangerment case says the court system has failed her son.
The woman contacted KCJJ via email on Thursday. The case involves 43-year-old David Beatty of East Washington Street, who’s accused of dragging a six-year-old boy down stairs and into a door last December, causing bruising to his forehead. Police say the boy has reported previous instances of physical violence committed by Beatty to his clinical psychologist. The boy’s family says the incidents have affected his mental health. Beatty is charged with Child Endangerment and three no-contact order violations.
The boy’s mother tells KCJJ the court system in Keokuk County, where she and the boy live, has failed her son and other children who are in similar situations. She claims another mother has had a similar experience involving her child, and she’s read comments from other parents with similar issues.
A GoFundMe page set up for the boy in the Iowa City case claims Beatty was accused of abuse as far back as 2021, when the boy came home with bruises after a weekend visit with Beatty. The page claims the Department of Human Services was contacted, it investigated, and it labelled the case as “confirmed”, meaning the agency felt the incident likely happened but there was little chance of a repeat. The family alleges there were more such incidents later, and the boy was eventually diagnosed with PTSD.
The mother in the case is seeking sole custody, but she says the court system in Keokuk County has been dragging its feet. Meanwhile, Beatty has pleaded guilty in the December case. Sentencing is set for next Thursday.
The boy’s full story can be found on the GoFundMe page. 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, and they say any money raised over that amount will be donated to the organization Bikers Against Child Abuse.