Dale Eugene Patterson, 47, of Newton, was sentenced Wednesday to a month in jail and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to public intoxication for the third time.
Patterson’s prior convictions for public intoxication are dated April 3, 2004, and Sept. 11, 2001.
In return for pleading guilty to the aggravated misdemeanor, a charge of criminal trespass against Patterson from Nov. 10, 2009 was dropped. That incident involved Patterson mistakenly entering another person’s property while intoxicated.
“He made a good impression on the judge today as a guy who is trying to do better,” said John Billingsley, Patterson’s attorney. “Once he leaves jail he’ll enter an inpatient alcohol program in Des Moines and that’s 45 days.”
According to the complaint regarding the charge Patterson pleaded guilty to Wednesday, a Jasper County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched on the evening of Dec. 9, 2009, to a public drive at 3215 Highway F 48. Here the deputy found Patterson walking around and showing signs of being intoxicated. Patterson admitted he had been drinking and was transported to Jasper County Jail.
Patterson also received two years probation beginning Wednesday, and the balance of the suspended sentence would “be hanging over him if he didn’t do well on probation,” Billingsley said.
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April Ann Wilcox, 30, of Newton, had her pre-trial conference for child endangerment rescheduled on Wednesday.
According to the citation and complaint, the Newton woman bought her 13-year-old son and his friend a case of beer on Oct. 2, 2009, before leaving them unattended to go to a bar.
Wilcox’s son then asked her if he could invite over two girls, which Wilcox later said in a video interview she agreed to in a text message, as long as the girls didn’t drink any alcohol. The report states the two girls did consume alcohol and a sex act occurred between two of the boys and one of the girls.
Wilcox, who also faces charges of driving while license suspended and no insurance, had her pre-trial conference rescheduled to April 28.
Josh Koehn can be contacted at 792-3121 ext. 422 or via e-mail at jkoehn@newtondailynews.com.