Grandfather gets probation for child sex abuse

ELDORA - Throughout Kasey Hilpipre's emotional victim impact statement in a nearly full courtroom at the Hardin County Courthouse on Friday, she repeated how Dean Hilpipre had better hope God forgives him for what he did to her then-6-year-old daughter - his granddaughter.

Judge James McGlynn sentenced Dean Hilpipre, 61, of Alden, to five years probation and ordered him listed on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry for life. He suspended a 10-year prison sentence, meaning Hilpipre could be sent to prison if he violates probation. He will not be allowed to contact his granddaughter for five years.

In her victim impact statement, Kasey Hilpipre asked the judge to reconsider the plea deal, in order to preserve her daughter's safety.

She also criticized the plea deal and the report that determined Dean Hilpipre was a low risk to reoffend.

'You will always be known as a pedophile,” Kasey Hilpipre said to him in court. 'Your health does not excuse your actions.”

Dean Hilpipre looked down at the table while the victim impact statements were read. Asked by McGlynn if he wanted to speak, he replied, 'No, sir.”

Dean Hilpipre was originally charged in November 2016 with two counts of felony second-degree sexual abuse of his granddaughter, court documents said. In a plea deal, those charges were amended to the lesser charge of lascivious acts with a child.

A second-degree sex abuse conviction carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. Conviction of lascivious acts with a child carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

The trial came with an unexpected twist in January when Dean Hilpipre claimed a $100,000 lottery prize. Lottery officials were consulted and said a criminal conviction does not disqualify someone from winning a prize.

The plea deal, Kasey Hilpipre told the Globe Gazette, 'was an injustice to all children and all sex abuse victims.” The abuse, she said, has torn the family apart.

In another victim impact statement, Deborah Yanna, the child's grandmother, called Dean Hilpipre a sick and insane person and detailed how her granddaughter had been forced to touch him on multiple occasions. The incidents occurred in the woods near her house, Dean Hilpipre's bedroom and elsewhere in his home, she said.

In another statement, the victim's older sister, struggling through tears, said how difficult it is to comfort her younger sister. She also said it is difficult for her sister to enjoy playing outside and riding her bike. She ended her statement by saying, 'You don't deserve to walk this planet as a monster that is gonna hurt little children.”

During the two-hour hearing, McGlynn, the judge, explained why he couldn't let letters or emails submitted to the court and the County Attorney's Office - saying Dean Hilpipre should go to prison - influence his decision.

'No one is allowed to put their thumb on the scale,” McGlynn said, referring to Lady Justice.

The judge described how it was not within his power to throw out a plea deal.

As he was speaking, one woman stood up, swore at him and was escorted from the courtroom. McGlynn said she would be charged with contempt of court.

Following the sentencing, Dean Hilpipre's attorney, George Appleby, told the Globe Gazette he appreciated McGlynn accepting the plea deal.

'I believe this was, while a difficult case, the right result,” Appleby said.