Charles City woman pleading guilty to injuring child; agreement calls for up to 10 years in prison

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Charles City woman who was charged with causing severe injuries to a child living in the same home has pleaded guilty to reduced charges.

Samantha Ann Slaughter, age 37, was arrested March 24 on a charge of child endangerment resulting in serious injury, allegedly committed at a residence in Charles City on Feb. 13. She was formally charged with child endangerment, multiple acts, a Class B felony; and willful injury resulting in serious injury, a Class C felony.

A Class B felony is punishable by a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, although certain multiple acts of child endangerment can be sentenced to up to 99 years in prison.

On Monday, May 12, Slaughter’s attorney filed documents in Floyd County District Court where Slaughter pleaded guilty to a charge of child endangerment, a Class C felony, and to willful injury resulting in serious injury, also a Class C felony.

According to the written pleas, the Floyd County Attorney’s Office will recommend that Slaughter receive a sentence of 10 years in prison on each count, leaving it up to the judge whether the sentences will run concurrently or consecutively; and a $1,375 fine plus 15% surcharge, with the fine to be fully suspended.

The case will also run concurrently with a case in Winneshiek County where Slaughter – whose name then was Samantha Ann Jones – pleaded guilty in March 2024 to an aggravated misdemeanor charge of child endangerment, substantial risk, and assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, no intent, a serious misdemeanor. She was sentenced to a term in prison not to exceed two years, suspended, and placed on two years probation.

In March, the Iowa Department of Correctional Services filed a report of probation violation because of the charges filed against Slaughter in Floyd County.

The alleged victim in each case is not identified by age, gender or relationship of the child to Slaughter. The child is identified only by initials, and the initials are not the same in court documents in the Winneshiek County and Floyd County cases.

On Monday, District Court Judge DeDra Schroeder filed a document in Floyd County District Court saying that Slaughter intended to plead guilty, and set a plea hearing for May 27.

According to the Floyd County criminal complaint, the initial document filed when a person is arrested, Slaughter physically assaulted the child by “forcefully grabbing their face, force feeding them food, shaking and jerking their face and head, hitting them in their face with their own hands, forcing them to the floor by grabbing their neck, and slamming them onto the floor.”

The Floyd County trial information, the court document that makes the formal charges, alleges that Slaughter physically assaulted the child at least three times over 12 months.

The the document alleges that Slaughter “shook the head of (the child) and slammed (the child’s) head into furniture, force fed (the child), and denied critical care to (the child), with at least one act resulting in serious injury.

According to the criminal report, treatment of the Floyd County child included removing part of the child’s skull to relieve pressure on the brain, and “the minor’s long-term prognosis will likely include varying deficits, some of which appear to be permanent.”