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Charles City man sentenced to up to five years on child injury charge

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Charles City man who pleaded guilty to injuring his then-4-month-old child has been sentenced to up to five years in prison, despite a plea agreement that recommended a suspended sentence.

Ezekiel Isaac Larson, age 24, had originally been charged along with the child’s mother of child endangerment causing serious injury, a Class C felony.

According to information filed in Floyd County District Court, the child allegedly received “severe injuries to his head” while Larson was the sole caretaker in September 2022. Medical attention was not sought for four days, while the child had been vomiting, not eating or sleeping, the criminal complaint alleged.

In September last year, Larson entered a written plea of guilty to a reduced charge of child endangerment causing bodily injury, a Class D felony. The Floyd County Attorney’s Office agreed to a sentencing recommendation of five years in prison, fully suspended; three years of probation; and the minimum fine, also suspended.

At the sentencing hearing on Monday, District Court Judge DeDra Schroeder sentenced Larson to an indeterminate term in prison not to exceed five years, and a fine of $1,025 plus 15% crime services surcharge.

That same day a notice was posted in court records that a $5,000 appeal bond had been posted for Larson.

Part of Schroeder’s ruling included the information that a plea of guilty cannot be appealed “without a showing of good cause.”

Larson had acknowledged in his signed plea agreement that “any plea agreement or recommendation is not binding on the court and, at the time of sentencing, the court can impose any sentence appropriate, up to the maximum allowed by law.”

The child’s mother, Madison Geerts, now age 21, had in July also pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of child endangerment causing bodily injury.

Geerts had been accused of knowing about her child’s injury but not taking action for four days.

Judge Blake Norman had sentenced Geerts in September to an indeterminate term in prison not to exceed five years but suspended that sentence, and also suspended the fine. Norman also sentenced her to five years of probation, two years more than her sentencing recommendation of three years.

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