The parents of a child who was allegedly sexually abused by former Coralville City Councilor Jill Dodds’ husband, Jeffrey Dodds, testified at the Johnson County Courthouse Wednesday.
Jeffrey Dodds pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree sexual abuse, which is a class B felony. If he is convicted, each charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 17.5 years in prison with a maximum of 25 years. The jury trial started Tuesday.
The case involves a daycare Jeffery Dodds ran with his wife, Jill Dodds, called Simple Abundance Child Care in Coralville. The child, who is under 14 years old, attended the daycare from June 2020 to November 2021, according to testimony from their mother.
Simple Abundance is an in-home daycare at the Dodds’ residence on 12th Avenue, providing daycare services for a maximum of 16 children.
The sexual abuse allegedly took place in June 2021. The child took the witness stand in a separate room from Jeffery Dodds on Wednesday and said he touched them inappropriately in the bathroom of the daycare and the upstairs bedroom many times.
The child’s father testified that there were about 10 times he picked up his child, and Jeffrey Dodds was the only adult present at the daycare. The father attributed Jill Dodds’ absence to her undergoing knee surgery in June 2021.
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The father of the child testified that they were told Jeffrey Dodds would be the primary caregiver while Jill Dodds recovered from surgery.
Jami Stevens, who is a social worker for Iowa Health and Human Services, testified she was involved with daycare compliance at Simple Abundance. She said there was only one complaint she remembered handling, which had to do with a dog bite at the daycare.
Jill Dodds resigned from Coralville City Council in April 2022 after her husband was arrested earlier that month. Jill Dodds served on the council since 2012. Jeffrey Dodds posted bail in the amount of $40,000 a day after he was arrested, according to court documents.
Simple Abundance Child Care is now closed.
