Cedar Rapids father faces up to 35 years for breaking ribs, legs of infant son

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids father pleaded to child endangerment charges Thursday for breaking the bones of his infant son by intentionally bear-hugging him tightly and squeezing his chest, “forcefully yanking” his legs and shaking him and grabbing his neck to prevent him from breathing because the baby wouldn’t stop crying.

Noah Debettignies, 24, pleaded to two charges of child endangerment causing serious injury; and one charge each of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person; child endangerment — substantial risk — bodily injury; and child endangerment — torture or cruelty — bodily injury. All felony convictions.

Debettignies admitted to each charge during the hearing on Thursday in Linn County District Court.

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Sixth Judicial District Judge Mark Fisher, during the plea hearing, said one charge of child endangerment — multiple acts — causing serious injury, which carries a 10-year penalty, will be dismissed at sentencing as part of the plea agreement.

Fisher said at sentencing, in accordance with plea agreement, three charges — each with 10-year prison terms — will run consecutively, and two five-year terms will run concurrently to each other but consecutively to the other three for a total of up to 35 years.

“For a period of about three weeks, the defendant repeatedly inflicted unspeakable physical abuse on his helpless infant son,” Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks told The Gazette after the hearing. “There’s no amount of time in prison sufficient to hold him accountable. However, the 35 years will give him a lot of time to think about what he did and what could’ve happened.”

Maybanks said medical reports indicate that his son has recovered well but due to his age, it’s difficult to determine what long-term effects may result from this “egregious physical and emotional trauma.”

The severe child abuse injuries were discovered March 4, 2023 when Debettignies and the mother of the infant took the 7-week-old baby to the hospital for medical treatment of a “swollen left leg and fussiness,” according to a criminal complaint. Doctors found the infant had a broken left leg and he was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he was evaluated and doctors found healing fractures of several ribs.

The infant also had fractures to both of his tibia bones in his legs, which doctors found “highly suspicious” of child abuse based on his age and circumstances reported to medical personnel, the complaint stated.

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The baby also had a subconjunctival hemorrhage — broken blood vessel — to his left eye.

During an interview with a police investigator, Debettignies admitted that he physically abused the infant when he was 4 to 7 weeks old and up to and including March 4, 2023. Debettignies said he swaddled his son then “bear-hugged” him as tightly as he could overnight March 3 and into the next morning, which could have caused his left leg fracture.

Debettignies also told the investigator he squeezed the infant’s chest and pushed down “forcefully” on his chest while swaddling him, likely resulting in the multiple rib fractures. The father also said he pulled and yanked on the infant’s legs and held him upside down by the legs and shook him.

The complaint stated Debettignies also admitted to holding down the infant with one hand and used his other hand to wrap around the neck of the infant, squeezing his fingers on his neck, impeding his air flow.

The father said he abused the child because he was “frustrated and wanted (infant) to stop crying,” according to the complaint. He also admitted to having “feelings of wanting to harm” the infant. He also sent an email detailing additional abuse to the investigator, the complaint stated.

Fisher set his sentencing for March 11.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com