Sigourney Man Sentenced In Child Endangerment Case

OSKALOOSA – On Apr. 7, Johnny Lynn Dale, Jr., formerly of Sigourney, was sentenced to three consecutive ten-year sentences, totaling 30 years. These charges stem from a 2019 incident that resulted in the death of a 4-month-old baby.

On the night of Jun. 15, 2019, Dale, then 21, was tasked with taking care of the young son of his girlfriend while she was at work. According to the mother, her son was his normal, happy, go-lucky self when she left for work. When she returned, the child was pale, had a bruise on his forehead, and would not wake up. The mother requested they take the infant to the emergency room, but Dale refused, telling her to wait until the morning.

In the morning, the four-year-old was unresponsive. The mother stated to the police that her son made grunts, like he was in pain. He stared forward, not looking at anything, with fixated eyes that did not dilate. The child was admitted to the hospital, with seizure-like symptoms. Medical staff reported that the child suffered from a brain bleed and damage to his spinal cord, and that his injuries were consistent with child abuse. The four-month-old passed away five days later.

In his conversations with police, Dale stated that he had grown frustrated with the baby and bounced him on the air mattress in an attempt to get him to go to sleep. Regarding the forehead bruise, Dale stated that the baby had rolled over and hit his head on a remote. Dale speculated that this was the cause of the bruise. Dale also stated that he left the child on a couch as he changed clothes; when he returned, the couple’s 47-pound mastiff was “all over” the baby. Dale speculated that the dog may have hit the child with its tail, resulting in injury.

Following the infant’s passing, Dale was charged with Murder in the First Degree and Child Endangerment Resulting in Death. Dale later entered an Alford Plea, resulting in these charges being downgraded to Child Endangerment Resulting in Serious Injury, Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, and Neglect of a Dependent Person.

Under an Alford Plea, the defendant continues to assert their innocence, while admitting that it is likely they would be found guilty by a jury in the event the case went to trial. As part of his plea, Dale admitted he willfully deprived the victim of necessary health care, that he struck, threw, or shook the victim with intent to cause serious injury, and that he knowingly left the child unattended with a large canine which caused injury to the child.