District Court Judge Angela Doyle sentenced Joseph D. Peterson Monday afternoon during a hearing at the Webster County Courthouse.

During the sentencing hearing, the childs’s mother gave a victim impact statement, which was directed at Peterson.

“You took her innocence,” she read. “She had to learn way before her time that you can’t trust anyone. She had to learn about being physical with someone, and she shouldn’t have to do that at eight years old. I wanted my kids to stay kids as long as they could in a society that pushes kids to grow up so fast. … There is no excuse or reasons that will ever be good enough to justify what you did. I hope the court sees that and you will be punished to the furthest extent.”

The Messenger is withholding the mother’s name in order to protect the child’s identity.

Doyle addressed Peterson, calling the video tape of his interview with Detective Larry Hedlund of the Fort Dodge Police Department “absolutely chilling.”

On Dec. 13, Peterson was convicted of eight counts of second-degree sexual abuse, a Class B felony, by a Webster County jury. He had been charged with two counts, but during the trial, prosecutors amended the charges and added six additional counts.

During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Peterson’s attorney, Judd Parker, of Adel, filed a motion for a new trial, as well as to have the third through eighth counts dismissed on the grounds that the amended trial information, which extended the time frames that the alleged sex acts occurred and allowed for the six additional counts, violated Peterson’s due process rights and gave “almost no time” for the preparation of defense.

In responding to Peterson’s motions, First Assistant Webster County Attorney Ryan Baldridge said it was “absurd” to say the defense didn’t have time to prepare after the additional counts were added, because the defendant had already admitted to law enforcement that he had committed the acts on eight separate occasions over a two-year period of time.

Doyle denied the defendant’s request for a new trial, but did strike the six counts that were added during the trial, citing legal precedence set by a similar case reviewed by the Iowa Court of Appeals in 2019.

Peterson was arrested on March 29, 2019. According to the criminal complaints filed against Peterson, Fort Dodge police alleged that he committed multiple sex acts on a child identified as being less than 12 years old, on at least two occasions between Jan. 1 and March 29, 2019.

For each of the two counts of second-degree sexual abuse that Peterson was convicted of, he received a 25-year sentence, with a mandatory minimum of 17.5 years before he is eligible for parole or work release. During the sentencing hearing, Baldridge requested that the sentences be served consecutively.

Doyle did order that the sentences be served consecutively.

Peterson will serve his sentences in a prison within the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Doyle also ordered that Peterson have no contact with the victim or her immediate family for five years.

When Peterson is released from prison, he will have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.