Supervisor Enters Guilty Plea Of Assault

Mahaska County Supervisor Mark Groenendyk has entered a guilty plea of assault in regards to a February incident.

The plea reads as follows:

COMES NOW the defendant and hereby enters a guilty plea to the lesser included offense of Assault, a simple misdemeanor. As a factual basis the defendant states that on February 6, 2021 in Mahaska County, Iowa he intentionally made physical contact with another and that such contact was offensive to this person. I was not acting in self defense when I did this.

The defendant further states that this plea is entered pursuant to a plea agreement with the State of Iowa. The details of that agreement are as follows:

1. The defendant will request and the State will not resist the Court granting the defendant a deferred judgment.
2. The defendant would be placed on probation for a period of one year and pay the probation supervision fee.
3. A specific condition of probation is that the defendant complete an assaultive behavior class provided by Des Moines Area Community College or a similar facility and file proof of completing the class.
4. The existing No Contact order [protected party] be extended for one year with the specific condition that the defendant not be within 1000 feet of the residence of the protected party.
5. The defendant pay the court costs associated with this action.
6. The violation of the No Contact Order be dismissed by the State.

WHEREFORE the defendant requests that the Court accept this plea of guilty and enter a sentencing order adopting the parties agreement or in the alternative, set a sentencing hearing.

Court documents indicated a sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 3rd, 2021 at 10 am at the Mahaska County Courthouse.

To learn more about deferred judgment, which Iowa law grants a maximum of two lifetime deferred judgements, follow the provided link.