Lang
10/20/24
A North Liberty man accused of leaving his toddler home alone while he was intoxicated has reached a plea deal.
According to arrest records, North Liberty Police observed 43-year-old Jeremy State driving away from Liberty View Wine and Spirits on Penn Street just after 7:00 on the night of May 18th. State was revoked from driving, so a traffic stop was initiated. Police say he showed multiple signs of intoxication, and his breath alcohol level was measured at .205% and .196%. State has a previous Operating While Intoxicated conviction out of Linn County, with two more OWI charges that don’t have dispositions yet.
As State was being taken into custody for OWI and Driving While Revoked, officers say they saw him text his mother “You need to come get her now”. Police say they knew State had a young child, and that the child’s mother was still in jail from an arrest the previous day.
Investigators accessed State’s Churchill Drive residence through an unlocked window. Inside, they say they discovered a two-and-a-half year old child on the edge of a bed, lying in a pool of urine and/or vomit. The child is disabled and unable to move around as easily as other children her age.
Police say the residence also had dog feces in various parts of the living room.
In addition to the initial charges, State was also charged with Child Endangerment and Neglect of a Dependent Person. If convicted on all charges, he would have faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Terms of the plea deal reached earlier this week have not been released. Sentencing is set for December 16th.