By Associated Press - Thursday, December 20, 2018

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Appeals Court has ordered a resentencing for a man imprisoned for beating an 11-year-old boy.

The Sioux City Journal reports that the court ruled Wednesday that the trial judge considered an improper sentencing factor when giving 36-year-old Matthew Spaans four years in prison.

Spaans and his wife, Nina Spaans, of Hawarden, pleaded guilty to four counts of child endangerment. She received a four-year suspended prison sentence and was placed on two years of probation.

Records say Matthew Spaans beat his stepson with his hands, a 56-inch sword and another item, severely bruising the boy. The documents say the boy was told to make up stories about his bruises or his next beating would be worse.

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Information from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.com

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