• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Crime / Courts / Suspended sentence in Ottumwa sex abuse case draws outrage

Suspended sentence in Ottumwa sex abuse case draws outrage

September 15, 2016 By Radio Iowa Contributor

Kraigen Grooms

Kraigen Grooms

The sentence given to a southeast Iowa man Monday who plead guilty to molesting a toddler is drawing nationwide outrage.

Judge Randy Degeest handed Kraigen Grooms of Ottumwa a 10-year suspended sentence on a charge of lascivious acts with a child.

Grooms was initially charged with second-degree sexual abuse more than two years ago after a video surfaced online of him engaging in sexual intercourse with a toddler.

A nationwide manhunt led to groom’s capture. Groom’s 10-year suspended sentence has been perceived by many as excessively lenient and has drawn parallels to other recent cases of men avoiding maximum penalties for sexual assault.
An online petition on Whitehouse.gov to have the judge in this case removed from the bench has received nearly 1,000 signatures. But some say that the anger at the judge could be misplaced. Online court records indicate that a plea agreement was offered and accepted in this case.

Court documents don’t specify what exactly was offered and accepted. Wapello County Attorney Gary Oldenburger  has yet to respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Nick Davis, KBIZ, Ottumwa)

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, News

Featured Stories

Congresswoman Axne favors Biden pandemic relief plan, Hinson not ruling out a ‘yes’

DOT plow crews struggling against blizzard conditions

Death penalty proposed for specific child murder cases

Iowa delegation breaks along party lines on Trump impeachment vote

Two northeast Iowa men admit to illegally harvesting ginseng

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

UNI adds two nonconference games to basketball schedule

Iowa State-Kansas postponed

Iowa-Michigan State postponed

Fire damage to Riverfront Stadium electrical system will cost Waterloo thousands

Iowa State at Kansas State postponed

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC