Charles City man accused of assaulting woman and child on Christmas Eve sentenced to jail time

CHARLES CITY — A Charles City man accused of assaulting a woman and child on Christmas Eve 2023 has entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors and been sentenced to jail time.

42-year-old Joseph Hill was accused of entering into an altercation with his child’s mother on December 24th, with the child attempting to intervene. Witnesses say that Hill punched the child multiple times in the head and the arm and also assaulted the child’s mother. The assault on the mother allegedly included grabbing her by the neck hard enough to impede her breathing and leave marks, with the woman having to be taken to the emergency room for treatment.

Hill was originally charged with: first-degree burglary, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison; as well as the Class D-level felonies of domestic abuse assault of a pregnant person and two counts of child endangerment causing bodily injury. As part of a plea agreement filed on Tuesday in Floyd County District Court, Hill agreed to plead guilty to domestic abuse assault, a serious misdemeanor, with prosecutors in exchange dropping the other three charges. Prosecutors recommended a 60-day jail sentence with all but two days suspended and credit for time already served, as well as two years probation.

District Judge DeDra Schroeder agreed with that recommendation when sentencing Hill on Tuesday.