Justin Pope

ROCKWELL CITY — A Lohrville man charged with felony child endangerment for the death of his 6-year-old son has pleaded not guilty in Calhoun County District Court.

Justin Richard Pope, 28, was charged last month with child endangerment resulting in death, a Class B felony, and making firearms available to a minor, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Pope’s son, Alexzander, was fatally injured when the child was handling an unsecured firearm he found in the home shortly before 7 a.m. on June 16. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation began investigating the incident.

Calhoun County Sheriff Pat Riley wrote in the criminal complaints that Pope “left firearms easily accessible in areas of his residence where minors reside,” two of which were loaded handguns. Additionally, the criminal complaints note, the firearms weren’t secured by a trigger lock mechanism or stored in a locked box or container.

Pope was charged on Oct. 19, just over four months after the fatal shooting. On Tuesday, Pope waived his right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded not guilty to the two charges. A trial is yet to be scheduled. Pope has been released from custody under the supervision of the Department of Correctional Services.