James Exline, 47, was sentenced in Greene County District Court Monday to a total of 75 years in prison for the sexual abuse of his daughter, 12-year-old Paige Exline.
Judge James Drew, who presided over the jury trial in Waverly in June in which Exline was found guilty of second-degree sexual abuse and third-degree sexual abuse, sentenced Exline to a time not to exceed 50 years in prison on the first charge and a time not to exceed 25 years on the second charge.
The sentences are consecutive, and Exline must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence — 63 years and nine months — before he is eligible for parole.
The charges carried mandatory sentences. The judge’s only discretion was whether the sentences are concurrent or consecutive. Exline’s attorney, Daniel Gonnerman of Carroll, argued for concurrent sentences, saying the reason there were two different charges was Paige’s age at the time of the abuse, but that it was all one chain of events.
“What happened to her is something no child should have to go through,” said Iowa Assistant Attorney General Denise Timmons while arguing for consecutive sentences. “What happened to her affected not only her but her classmates, the rest of her family, this community. I think, most importantly, he’s a two-time sex offender. He was going through sex offender treatment and on lifetime parole, and he still chose to commit these acts against his own daughter. He does not deserve any more chances.”
“There’s just no figuring this kind of thing out,” said Judge Drew said during sentencing. “Consider the fact that before you started to commit these crimes, you had reason to believe Paige was being abused by another family member. When you took steps to address that, then you began to commit the same crimes. This was not an isolated incident. It happened over a period of time.”
Drew ruled Exline would serve his sentences consecutively.
“You were already a convicted sex offender on lifetime parole,” he said. “Even more troubling than that, you did this to your own daughter.” He said Exline was “extremely dangerous” and “these crimes to be as serious as any crime you can possibly commit.”
Exline was remanded to Oakdale Medical and Classification Center. There will be no bond if he appeals the sentence. He was fined $1,000 with a $350 surcharge and a $100 sex abuse surcharge on the sex abuse- third degree charge.
Assistant Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn assisted Timmons in prosecuting the case.
Before sentencing, Drew first heard a motion not to sentence Exline but instead to hold a new trial. Gonnerman cited hearsay evidence and questions about the relevance of an Iowa Department of Human Services social worker’s testimony as cause for a new trial, arguing that the evidence presented did not support the jury’s finding of guilt.
Drew, who also presided over that trial, denied the motion, finding the weight of the evidence against Exline supported the verdict. He said there was “overwhelming” evidence of guilt.
Paige Exline, 12, and her cousin Shakiah Cockerham, 16, were living with their grandmother Shirley Exline in Guthrie Center when they were killed in an arson fire May 15, 2017. Paige’s brother Noah had been charged with committing sex abuse against Paige, and her father was to be charged with sex abuse, also against Paige, the next week. Patrick Thompson, James Exline’s stepson, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the fire.
Victoria Riley is editor and published on the Greene County News Online.
It sickens me to think as a taxpayer I must pay to feed, house and protect the general welfare of this piece of human waste.