Gerald Man Sentenced For Child Abuse

A Gerald man was sentenced Feb. 14 for abusing a toddler in 2020.

Deric A. Rugen, 24, received 15 years in prison for abuse of a child and seven years for second-degree assault, with the sentences to run concurrently.

Rugen was found guilty in a bench trial last December by Judge Craig Hellmann. 

A motion for a new trial was denied Feb. 5. 

Rugen was arrested in March 2020. 

The child’s mother told law enforcement that Rugen came home from work agitated. The child was near a bathtub and crying when he slapped them. The child fell into the tub, hit their head and went underwater. 

The mother pulled the child back up and Rugen slapped them twice more. Each time, the child went back underwater. 

Rugen also slapped the mother when he attempted to hit the child and missed. The mother said he lifted the child out of the tub and repeatedly struck them. 

The mother and child fled Gerald and went to a friend’s home in Springfield. She contacted the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Rugen’s attorney has filed an appeal.