DES MOINES, Iowa — The case against a Grimes man accused of causing his two-month-old daughter’s death has been dismissed.
In August 2025, law enforcement responded to the 600 block of NE Jacob Street in Grimes in response to a report of a baby not breathing. The baby was transported to a hospital for serious injuries, but later died. According to criminal complaints, the mother of the child found Dylan Brown, 23, hitting their child, and when she tried to stop him, he strangled her. Brown was arrested on several charges, including child endangerment.
According to court records, in March, the prosecution asked the court to drop two charges: one charge of child endangerment and one charge of willful injury due to a delay in autopsy findings on the baby’s death. Earlier this month, the prosecution amended that motion and petitioned the court to drop the entire case against Brown. The motion states that the prosecution had just learned on April 9 that the autopsy report had been finalized and that new evidence of another alleged incident of abuse had been discovered. The prosecution said in its petition that dismissing the case without prejudice is “in the furtherance of justice.”
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The defense, however, filed a resistance to the prosecution’s motion to dismiss, claiming that the prosecution is violating Brown’s right to a speedy trial with the continued delays.
Defense’s Resistance to Motion to Dismiss
Last Monday, a Polk County judge ruled in favor of the prosecution, writing in part, “In sum, the reasons provided by the State in both its written filings and in its oral arguments on the record, which are summarized as the need to conduct further investigation and to identify and follow up with new evidence and witnesses are all appropriate and sufficient to justify dismissal of this prosecution in the furtherance of justice.”
The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that charges in connection with the baby’s death can be brought against Brown again in the future…