Shelly Johns to be sentenced in Coralville child abuse case

IOWA CITY — Shelly Johns has entered a guilty plea in her child abuse case and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6.

According to online court records, Johns, 44, of Coralville, entered a written guilty plea last week. Originally charged with child endangerment and child endangerment causing injury, online records do not indicate whether Johns will plead guilty to different charges or if the prosecution will make a sentencing recommendation. However, court records indicate Johns' no contact order with her daughter has been amended to allow visits at the discretion of the Department of Human Services.

Johns, 44, is accused of keeping and using illegal drugs in the Coralville home she shares with her 10-year-old daughter. Johns told police she has been smoking meth for the last six months and that her daughter was present when the drugs were being used. The girl also told authorities that she saw her mother and others using a white substance, believed to be meth, in her presence.

Additionally, police said the girl had a 'circular injury' under her eye that she suffered when Johns burned her with a cigarette. Johns admitted to burning her daughter with the lit cigarette during an incident when she was disciplining her, police said. Johns admitted to disciplining her daughter by 'smacking her, pulling her hair and kicking her,' according to criminal complaints.

The girl was abducted by her stepfather, 48-year-old Kenneth Johns, on March 7. On that date, deputies responded to Casey's General Store in Solon after Shelly Johns called to report a domestic abuse incident involving him. At that time, Kenneth Johns was wanted for a prior domestic incident.

Authorities said Kenneth Johns abducted his stepdaughter from a residence in Solon, and fled in a vehicle, while his wife was with authorities. Later that day, Shelly Johns reported that her husband might be in possession of a weapon and authorities issued an Amber Alert. The girl was eventually turned over to authorities by a third party in West Branch early on March 8, and Johns was arrested in Davenport after a standoff with police later that morning.

The girl was turned over to the Department of Human Services upon her return, though authorities did not say why.

Kenneth Johns was eventually charged with second-degree kidnapping, possession of a firearm by a felon and carrying weapons in the Amber Alert case. Johns has pleaded not guilty to those charges and is scheduled to go to trial July 21.

According to a warrant obtained by Coralville police, while investigating the case, police received consent from Shelly Johns to search her residence in Coralville and seize any evidence. On March 11, police went to the home and discovered suspected meth, syringes, glass pipes, a digital scale and packaging materials.

Police obtained a warrant to search Johns' home a second time and recovered two syringes, an empty dime bag, six 9 mm bullets and other items, according to documents.

Shelly Johns had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. She changed her plea on April 21, the day she was scheduled to appear in court for a bond review. She has since been released to the custody of the Department of Corrections.