DES MOINES – An Iowa man must serve 35 to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual abuse and incest of a minor.
Tyler Hardwick, age 33 of Des Moines, entered an Alford guilty plea to 10 counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of incest. At sentencing on Thursday, Polk County District Judge Joseph Seidlin decided to run one of the sex abuse counts consecutive to the others, which would run concurrently, and run the incest count consecutively, for a total of 55 years in prison.
Each count of second-degree sexual abuse carries a 25-year sentence with a mandatory minimum of 17½ years, and incest carries a five-year term. The defendant also must be on the sex offender registry for the remainder of his life.
Judge Seidlin noted that the defendant took no responsibility for any of the acts. The sentence not only provides justice to the victim but also provides an incentive for the defendant to take responsibility and get treatment, the judge said.
Hardwick was originally charged with 21 counts of sexual abuse and one count of incest after being accused of sexually abusing a minor multiple times over a period of two and a half years. The defendant’s first trial was set for July 7 but was declared a mistrial, and his second trial began Aug. 4. The next day, Hardwick entered the Alford plea – acknowledging the evidence against him — under the agreement that 10 of the charges against him would be dismissed.
His defense attorneys, Alex Gilmore and Chris Kragnes, argued for all the sexual abuse counts to run concurrently but consecutively with the incest charge.
Assistant County Attorney Thomas Tolbert argued for a sentence of 255 years, reminding the court that each count represents a different incident of sexual abuse. “The trauma here is a lifetime,” Mr. Tolbert said. “The sexual abuse that happened in this case is so prolific that it deserves a sentence that puts him away for the rest of his life.”
The case was prosecuted by Mr. Tolbert, with assistance from Kelsey Hannam. The investigation was led by Detective Steven Bjurstrom of the Des Moines Police Department.