Oskaloosa judge under fire for Grooms sentence
Kraigen Grooms
OSKALOOSA- District Court Judge Randy DeGeest has come under fire in recent days over the sentence he imposed in the Kraigen Grooms case. On Monday, DeGeest sentenced Ottumwa teen Kraigen Grooms, 19, to a 10 year suspended prison sentence plus five years of supervised release, as a result of his guilty plea to lascivious acts with a child, a Class C Felony. If Grooms were to violate the terms of his supervised release, he would be subject to prison time. Grooms must also register as a sex offender for life. Additionally, a no contact order between Grooms and the victim will be in place for five years.
The Kraigen Grooms case began in 2014 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials issued a press release to the public asking for assistance in identifying an individual who had been depicted in a video having sexual intercourse with a toddler. Further investigation and court documents established that the toddler was believed to be 12-18 months old when the incident occurred.
After the press release from ICE officials came, authorities received a tip and arrested Grooms, then 17. Grooms was initially charged with second-degree sexual abuse, a Class B Felony punishable by 25 years in prison.
Court documents filed in the Grooms case in Wapello County District Court stated that Grooms had planned the encounter and it was viewed and recorded by an individual in New Orleans, although court documents also indicated that the incident was believed to have physically occurred in Ottumwa. Court documents also stated that Grooms “found the incident ‘so hot’”. Further investigation revealed that Grooms was planning another similar incident with a three-year-old male while the same individual in New Orleans viewed and recorded the encounter.
Grooms had initially been set to stand trial in May 2015, however online court records indicate that Grooms’ case was delayed indefinitely in March 2015 so that Grooms could be evaluated to determine if he was competent to stand trial. A report on Grooms’ evaluation came back in May 2015, however no trial date was ever set. Online court records do not indicate the contents of the report.
On July 25, Judge Myron Gookin approved an amended trial information. On that same day, Grooms pled guilty to one count of lascivious acts with a child. Judge Myron Gookin set sentencing for September 12. Online court records indicate that after his guilty plea Grooms was released from custody but was subject to GPS monitoring. On September 12, Judge DeGeest handed down Grooms’ sentence.
Grooms’ sentence on Monday has been met by outrage among the general public, with many people questioning why Grooms was not sentenced to prison time. Numerous articles blasting Judge DeGeest’s sentence have popped up on the web. Additionally, the website Snopes.com, which is known to investigate urban legends, published a page on the Kraigen Grooms case on September 14. Articles on Grooms’ sentence have also appeared in international media, such as The Independent in London.
Additionally, a petition was created by user “S.C.” on the White House website on September 14 entitled “Fire Judge Randy Degeest [sic] for releasing the toddler rapist, Kraigen Grooms.”
In a description of the petition, the user stated “This judge is sympathizing with a toddler rapist, this not the kind of corrupt judge we want or need. If he will not stand up for a toddler, who will he stand for?”
By Thursday afternoon, the petition had gained 1,280 signatures. According to guidelines, in order to gain an official response from the White House, any petition must gain 100,000 signatures within 30 days. The fire Judge DeGeest petition thus would have until October 14 to get the required signatures to earn an official response from the White House.
DeGeest was appointed to the bench in summer 2009 as a District Associate Judge. He was later retained on the 2010 general election judicial ballot with 62% voting to retain him. Retention results in that election were much closer than usual across the entire judicial ballot. The same ballot saw Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices Michael Streit and David Baker not retained.
On February 1, 2013, DeGeest was appointed as District Court Judge, which is considered to be a promotion from a District Associate Judgeship. He would later be retained in 2014 with 70% of the “Yes” vote.
DeGeest will next appear on the 2020 general election ballot for judicial retention as a District Court Judge.
DeGeest has not been publicly disciplined for any actions as a judge, since his first appointment to the bench in 2009.
A release from the Wapello County Attorney’s office about the situation can be read HERE.
