Coralville man gets deferred judgment for sex abuse of 15-year-old

CEDAR RAPIDS — A judge gave a 27-year-old Coralville man a deferred judgment this week for sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl multiple times in Hiawatha.

Grayson Hunt Dearing pleaded in January to one of the three counts of third-degree sexual abuse. As part of a plea agreement, the prosecution dismissed the other two charges at sentencing Tuesday.

During the January hearing, Dearing admitted he had sex with the teen between Dec. 1, 2020, and July 4 of last year. He also admitted to being four or more years older than she was at the time.

During a forensic exam at UnityPoint-St. Luke’s Child Protection Center, the 15-year-old described the sex acts that occurred over the seven months, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators also found a “multitude” of text messages between the teen and Dearing “corroborating the allegations,” the complaint stated.

When interviewed by investigators, Dearing admitted the sexual contact, saying he “made some bad choices,” according to the complaint.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Christopher Bruns sentenced Dearing to 10 years in prison but granted a deferred judgment in accordance with the plea agreement.

Dearing will be on probation for three years. If he has no serious violations or additional charges during that time and pays all fines, court fees and restitution, he could ask the court to remove the charge from his record.

As part of the sentence, Dearing also must register with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry and comply with registry requirements for 10 years.

The victim and her family were in favor of the deferred judgment, Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said after the January plea.

Bruns, in his sentencing order, said without the victim and her family’s request, the court may have imposed a different sentence.

The offense is considered a sexually predatory crime. If Dearing is convicted of a similar offense in the future, his punishment could be enhanced, with increased prison time, Bruns stated in his order.

Bruns also issued a no-contact order to protect the victim.

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