IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Despite objections from the prosecutor, a business owner will avoid jail time for not having workers’ comp insurance when an employee died on the job.
James Watts, 83 from Bettendorf, pled guilty to a class D felony charge of failure to maintain workers’ compensation insurance. Despite an objection from the Johnson County Attorney, the judge sentenced Watts to a deferred judgment, meaning he will avoid jail time and, if he completes a 3-year probation, the conviction will be wiped from his record.
“Regardless of the sentence, holding the Defendant accountable shows that disregard for workers and the laws that protect them will not be tolerated,” Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmerman said in a news release…