Dewayne L. McGhee, 21, of Chicago, Illinois, is charged with first-degree sexual abuse, which is a class A felony.

Class A felonies, the highest level of offense in the state of Iowa, are punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In addition, McGhee is facing charges of second-degree sexual abuse, a class B felony, and child endangerment causing serious injury, a class C felony.

McGhee’s charges come from an incident in February.

The Fort Dodge Police Department was notified of the alleged sexual abuse on Feb. 16, when officers were dispatched to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center for a report of child abuse, according to the criminal complaint, filed with the Webster County attorney’s office.

An examination of the child, who was identified in court documents as being under the age of 12, by medical personnel at both UnityPoint and Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, determined the child had been both physically and sexually abused, the complaint stated.

Investigators questioned McGhee, who the complaint stated was taking care of the child.

In the complaint, it stated McGhee told police that the child was fine and not injured when he went to take a shower. He said the child must have fallen down the stairs, which resulted in the injuries.

But according to the complaint, medical personnel said the child’s injuries were not consistent with a fall down the stairs.

The child’s injuries included bruising over a large portion of the body and a broken leg.

McGhee made his initial appearance in Webster County Magistrate Court Friday morning.

Magistrate William Thatcher ordered McGhee held on a total $300,000 cash-only bond.

He also issued a no-contact order between McGhee and the child he’s accused of sexually abusing.

During his appearance, McGhee claimed that his family has been harassed by the family of the alleged victim.

Thatcher told McGhee to bring those concerns up with his attorney.

McGhee’s preliminary hearing is April 14.