SIOUX COUNTY, IOWA – A South Dakota man was able to avoid prison after a “big fight” delivered facial injuries to a dependent Iowa adult he was caring for, authorities say.
Sioux County Attorney Thomas G. Kunstle announced that Aaron David Albaugh, age 28 of Yankton, South Dakota, was sentenced yesterday in Sioux County District Court for the crime of Dependent Adult Abuse, an Aggravated Misdemeanor. Sioux County Attorney Thomas G. Kunstle prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Iowa.
This case arose on May 5, 2019, when the victim, a dependent adult living with a full-time caretaker, suffered a facial injury. The caretaker was Aaron Albaugh, who reported to his supervisor the victim suffered a minor accidental fall, but others observing the injury decided to take the victim to the emergency room, revealing significant trauma including several facial fractures, which specialists described as not a single accidental fall. The victim reported to their family and medical provider that the victim and caretaker were in a “big fight” but could not further describe the fight due to their special needs.
The case was delayed due to COVID-19 and was scheduled for a jury trial on September 22, but on September 14, Albaugh accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to two years in prison. The prison term was suspended and Albaugh was ordered to complete two years of probation with the Iowa Department of Corrections, ordered to pay a fine, complete substance abuse treatment, submit a sample of his DNA, shall have no contact with the victim, and is prohibited from working in any care-giving capacity or facility.
