Callender man convicted Monday of sexual abuse
Hill faces up to 72 years in prison
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A Webster County jury found a Callender man guilty of several counts of sexual abuse and child endangerment after a week-long trial that ended Monday.
Joseph Danniel Hill, 27, was found guilty of two counts of second-degree sexual abuse, four counts of child endangerment resulting in injury and one count of child endangerment.
The jury acquitted him of one count of second-degree sexual abuse and four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
In total, Hill faces up to 72 years in prison if ordered to serve consecutive sentences.
For each of the second-degree sexual abuse charges, Hill faces up to 25 years in prison. For the four counts of child endangerment resulting in bodily injury, he faces up to five years in prison. The fifth count of child endangerment is an aggravated misdemeanor and carries a prison term of up to two years.
Hill was arrested in May 2022 after an investigation by the Webster County Sheriff's Office, which was prompted by a call from the Department of Human Services. According to a press release sent out at the time, interviews with the juvenile victims provided information about "a series of physical and sexual abuse" and the children were removed from the residence by DHS.
He was initially charged with three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, a Class B felony; and five counts of child endangerment resulting in bodily injury, a Class D felony.
In July 2022, additional charges were filed against Hill, including two additional counts of child endangerment causing bodily injury and two counts of assault while participating in a felony, all Class D felonies. He was also charged with four counts of possession of a depiction of a minor in a sex act, all aggravated misdemeanors.
Through the course of pretrial proceedings, the charges against Hill were amended twice. The final slew of charges he faced at trial were three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, six counts of child endangerment resulting in bodily injury and four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled.
In November 2022, Hill's girlfriend, Michelle McMullen, then 28, pleaded guilty to four counts of child endangerment resulting in bodily injury. Investigators alleged that she knew of the abuse her children received under Hill's care and failed to report it.
McMullen was sentenced to five years in prison for each count, to be served concurrently with one another. According to the Iowa Department of Corrections website, McMullen was released from prison on supervised release on Oct. 16. She is scheduled to be discharged from supervision on Oct. 16, 2028.