WHITE CLOUD, Mich. (AP) — A man blamed for the death of his 5-year-old grandson has pleaded no contest to violating Michigan’s new gun storage law, one of the first significant convictions since the law kicked in earlier this year.
Karl Robart faces a minimum prison sentence somewhere in a range of 19 months to three years, according to a deal disclosed Monday in Newaygo County court. He’ll return to court in western Michigan on Oct. 7.
Braxton Dykstra was shot and killed on April 1 when a 6-year-old cousin got access to a loaded, unlocked shotgun at Robart’s home in Garfield Township, investigators said.
In Michigan, someone who pleads no contest doesn’t admit to committing a crime. But it is treated as a conviction for sentencing purposes.
Robart said very little in court. A message seeking comment from his attorney wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday. A similar case against Robart’s wife still is pending.
Michigan’s new gun storage law took effect in February. Firearms must be locked up when children are present. The consequences for a violation depend on the details of each incident and whether someone is wounded or killed.
Braxton’s father, Domynic Dykstra, said the length of his father-in-law’s prison sentence will be too short.
“They ruined my life. … You know, my son’s life was worth way more than that, and they are the reason why he’s gone today,” Dykstra told WZZM-TV.
At least 21 states have criminal laws related to failing to keep a gun away from children, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
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