Rockford man sentenced to probation for ‘lascivious act’

Rockford man sentenced to probation for ‘lascivious act’

Judge sticks to plea bargain made to spare victim more trauma

A Rockford man who originally faced multiple sexual abuse charges and years in prison walked out of the Floyd County Courthouse on Tuesday sentenced to five years probation and a lifetime on the Iowa sex offender registry. It was part of a negotiated plea deal intended to spare his victim further trauma.

Brent Michael Drees, 43, also walked out with a jacket covering his head to avoid being photographed. He was guided by family members.

In September, Drees pleaded guilty to one count of lascivious acts with a child, a class C felony through a deal reached after a Floyd County jury of eight women and six men was seated. County Attorney Rachel Ginbey said the driving force was that the girl would not need to testify in court.

Defense Attorney Timothy LaPointe said the agreement would be null if the judge didn’t agree to the recommended sentence, and on Tuesday District Court Judge Rustin Davenport did that, despite reservations. He sentenced Drees to five years of probation on a 10-year suspended prison sentence, fined him $1,000, ordered him to pay restitution and extended a no-contact order five years.

Because of the nature of his

Drees crime, Drees also, for the rest of his life, must be on the Iowa sex offender registry and will be under the supervision of the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Davenport said a suspended sentence would not have been his first choice.

Davenport still must rule on the matter of payment for the guardian ad litem.

At the sentencing, two victim impact statements were read on the stand and then Drees made a statement.

In his statement, Drees admitted to putting his hand inside a 11-year-old girl’s swimsuit during an August 2013 outing to the beach in Rudd. His original charges accused him of incidents stretching from 2012 to the summer of 2013.

“I did put my hand inside her swimming suit. That is something I will never be able to take back,” he said. “I know that it is emotionally distressful for her, as is for myself, and her family and my family.”

He added: “I have tried to live my life honest and will try to live my life honestly.”

LaPointe, presented the court character reference letters from Drees’s wife, Liza Drees, Paul Cole and Glenn Medgaarden, noting they are in addition to some already submitted. He also noted that Drees did not have a prior adult criminal record and is working at a hog operation.

The first victim impact statement was from the relative who is now taking care of the girl.

In 2011, the girl was an outgoing child active in numerous activities and someone who defended her friends when needed, the caretaker said. Now, she is a “withdrawn teen that feels she is not worthy of happiness or friendship.”

The girl is also separated from her younger sibling and her family because of a chasm spawned by Drees’s actions, she said. “You took away her childhood.”

“You are the scum of the earth and if you fell off the face earth, nobody would miss you,” the caretaker said and then she asked that Drees be incarcerated.

By Chris Baldus cbaldus@charlescitypress.com